Across Every Universe--A Sheith Anthology
by PerrythePlatypusGirl
Summary: A place for all the smaller sheith stories and AU ideas I have that I feel aren't big enough for their own book. Includes short continuations of Head Over Tailfins and Crush Course!
1. Neighbors (Childhood Friends AU)

Neighbors (Childhood Friends AU) 

Keith knew from the moment they first met that Shiro would be special to him.

Of course, to a simple-minded five-year-old, any attention from an older kid would feel incredibly special. Something as minisicule as letting his bouncy ball roll away at the park for a twelve-year-old to stop it and toss it back made Keith feel like he just found his best friend for life.

The older kid went back to whatever game he was playing on his phone right after. But Keith didn't stop watching him. He hesitated for a moment, then rolled the big red ball back toward him.

The older boy noticed it coming and stopped it with his foot again. He looked up at Keith, who looked expectant this time. He raised an eyebrow, and kicked it back. Keith beamed.

The boy snorted, but didn't seem annoyed. A quiet game of catch began, Keith rolling the ball to the other kid and him kicking it back while looking at his game.

A short while later, Keith noticed that his parents had gotten up off their bench and joined him on the grassy ground.

"Who's that, Keith?" His mom, Krolia, asked.

Keith shrugged his tiny shoulders. "I don't know. He was playing catch with me."

Keith's dad, Heath, looked over at the older boy curiously. "Isn't that the kid who lives across the street from us?"

"Is he?" said Krolia. "I haven't noticed."

"Can I keep playing with him?" asked Keith.

His dad nodded, and Keith excitedly resumed the game.

For a second the boy looked like he thought he was in trouble. But when Keith's parents made no move to stop him, he relaxed and continued playing with Keith.

A short while later, Keith had to go home. His parents told him to wave goodbye to his new friend, and despite how sad he felt, Keith listened.

* * *

Luckily, his sadness didn't last too long. Within the next couple of days, Keith learned some very important things.

First, the boy really did live across the street from them.

Second, his name was Shiro.

Third, Shiro didn't mind Keith's company at all, even if Keith was just sitting around watching him play a video game on his TV.

For the next few weeks, Keith would return home from school and immediately ask, "Can I go to Shiro's house?"

To which his parents would tell him that Shiro finishes school later. Keith would pout, sit by the window, draw some pictures, and wait. Then Shiro would appear walking down the sidewalk, and Keith would grab his mom and bolt outside.

"Shiro! Look! Look what I drew!" he'd say.

And Shiro would smile and ruffle his hair. "Nice job, Keith."

And Keith would feel like the happiest little kid on Earth.

Their parents became friends with each other as well, and that soon led to get togethers every other weekend or so. Keith was never good at making friends at school, so any chance to see Shiro made him ecstatic.

And Shiro, for his part, liked having Keith around. The kid was full of ideas and tons of energy for someone so small. While Shiro had plenty of people his own age to hang out with, he never treated Keith like any less of a friend—and that's probably why Keith liked him so much.

* * *

Years passed, and nothing changed-well, okay, some things changed. Namely Shiro. He got taller, his voice got deeper, and every now and then his parents would inform Keith that he would be unable to see him that day because of some emotional teenage drama he was going through. Keith didn't really get it, but when he could, he'd try to make Shiro feel better. Sometimes it would be a drawing or a gift, other times Keith would just hang around him and talk to him-to which Shiro would comment that he missed being a kid and that Keith's stories brought him back to a happier time.

What didn't change, however, was their friendship. Shiro never ever stopped making Keith feel like he was the greatest kid in the whole world. While he wasn't very social at school, Keith had no trouble talking to Shiro. And even during his teenage angst, Shiro could never find it in himself to turn away from his little friend.

At seventeen, Shiro had more or less grown out of his emotional phase and was pretty much the coolest kid in town-both to Keith and to Shiro's own school peers, if what his parents said was anything to go by. Of course that just made Keith even more proud to be his friend.

They were at one of their usual get togethers one day. Shiro had just finished showing Keith how to do some tricks on us bike, and now they were both sitting at a dinner table with their families.

"You're graduating this year, aren't you, Shiro?" Heath asked curiously.

"Yeah," Shiro replied proudly. "I mean, I have to spend this first semester doing college applications, but I'm excited."

"Are you going away for college?" Keith asked, mouth full.

"Swallow your food, sweetie," Krolia said absentmindedly.

Shiro smiled and gave Keith a nudge. "Maybe. But don't worry about that now, okay? I still have a whole year."

Keith nodded silently and just went back to his food.

A few minutes of small talk later, Shiro's phone buzzed. He pulled it out to check on it, and his face immediately brightened.

"Uh, can I be excused?" Shiro asked his parents, excitement edging into his voice.

As soon as his mom nodded, Shiro got up out of his seat and headed to the next room, smiling at his phone the whole time.

Keith watched him go with a frown on his face. "Um, can I be excused too?"

"Finish your food first," Krolia replied.

Keith grumbled, then proceeded to shovel the rest of his food into his mouth, until his cheeks were stuffed.

"Urmf, ca ah fe efcufe?" He asked again.

Krolia raised an eyebrow, while everyone else at the table suppressed a chuckle. Then Krolia sighed. "Fine, go follow him."

Keith jumped out of his seat and followed in the direction Shiro had gone, hurriedly chewing what was in his mouth. It took him a minute or two to find Shiro, but when he did, he was suddenly stopped. Usually Keith had no problems running up and getting Shiro's attention, but this time he felt like he was intruding.

Shiro wasn't doing anything. He was just sitting on a chair and texting someone, presumably the person who had taken him away from the table. But something was different about him now. He was smiling so softly, so fondly, a blush on his cheeks, laughing every now and then at the texts.

Keith wasn't a baby, he knew what that meant. He supposed he should be happy for Shiro, or maybe a little grossed out at all the lovey-dovey gross stuff that had evidently claimed his friend as a victim too. But instead of either of those, he felt a weird, unpleasant twisting in his chest. Something in him wanted to tear Shiro's gaze away from that phone so he could pay attention to Keith again. What was wrong with him?

Keith didn't go talk to Shiro. He just sulked back to the table.

* * *

It was about a week later that Keith saw the culprit for himself. He'd almost forgotten about the incident by then, but when he saw Shiro across the street with that same fond expression directed at some sandy-haired guy with glasses, it all came rushing back.

Keith was across the street before he even knew what he was doing, still holding his drawing pencils tightly in his hand. Shiro didn't notice, still focused on the other boy that he was shyly holding hands with.

"Shiro!" Keith cried out.

Shiro jumped, then turned to look down at him with wide eyes. So did the other boy.

"Oh, Keith," Shiro replied. "Where'd you come from? Didn't see you there."

Keith wasted no time. "Who's that?"

"This is Adam. He—."

"Go away, Adam!" Keith shouted, not even stopping to think in his sheer anger. "Shiro's gonna play with _me_!"

"Hey, Keith!" Shiro snapped. He pushed Keith back the few steps he'd taken and glared at him. "What's your problem?"

Adam just laughed it off. "Is he your little brother or something?"

"No, he's the neighbor's kid—look, Keith, I'm sorry, but I don't have time to hang out with you today, ok?"

Keith was just shaken by what was happening. Shiro with a boyfriend. Shiro pushing him away. Shiro treating him like a _little kid._

"B-but you said you would—that you would—would come to my house today a-and—and look at the—the—you said you'd come see the comic book I was making—a-and you said you'd come _today!"_ He was trying not to cry, but in the meantime his words were getting mixed up.

Shiro didn't look mad anymore, thankfully, but still seemed exasperated. "Tomorrow, okay? I promise I'll come see it tomorrow. You can go now, Alright? Draw more pages for me to see when I come over."

With that, he turned Keith around and gently pushed him down the sidewalk. Keith was still too shocked to resist.

As he walked away dejectedly, he could still hear Shiro talking to Adam.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why he was acting like that. He's usually a nice kid."

"Poor little guy. I think you broke his heart."

This was followed by quiet laughter from both of them. Keith angrily threw his pencil on the ground and stomped off.

* * *

Shiro did keep his promise to see him the next day. And their time together never decreased despite Shiro having other people to hang out with. Keith had no reason to be angry, even when Adam was around. For all Keith knew, the guy may have been perfectly nice, but Keith would never find out because he was always busy giving him a death glare.

Heath would sometimes comment on how "cute" Keith's obvious jealousy was, while Krolia would roll her eyes and say he'd grow out of it. Shiro never said anything about it. He just tried his to make sure that Keith and Adam were never in the same room at the same time.

One day when Keith noticed Adam's recent absence he plopped down next to Shiro and asked, "Did you and Adam break up?"

Shiro took a moment to answer, apparently lost in thought about something else. "No, we just hang out at school more often."

"Oh." Keith tried not to look too disappointed and moved on to something else. "Are you going to watch the game tomorrow? Mom and Dad have been talking about it a lot, they're really excited."

Shiro nodded with a far off look.

"...Shiro?"

Shiro blinked at him. "Yeah, yeah I'm probably gonna watch."

"Ok. I'll watch with you. Do you want to do something right now? Mom said I played too many video games today but we can play a board game."

"Yeah, sure."

Keith hopped off his chair and started to head off.

"Hey, Keith."

"Yeah?"

There was something illegible, a little bit sad, in Shiro's eyes when he hesitated. "Nothing. Never mind."

Keith was a little confused, but he shrugged it off and continued onward to grab a game to play.

* * *

Things got a bit weird after that. Their families would still hang out together, but Keith noticed that Shiro would sometimes get a little quiet and distant, just like before. Keith wanted to help, He didn't know what to do. Shiro would always shrug it off with a smile when asked if he was okay, and Keith couldn't do much else.

One time, when they were all having dinner together, Keith was coming back from the bathroom when he heard his name being mentioned. He stopped behind the wall, then paused where he wasn't seen to listen.

"Keith's probably gonna be devastated to find out, though," Heath was saying. "He completely adores you."

"I know," Shiro replied softly. "I'm trying to break it to him gently, but I don't know how. Don't really know how to deal with kids in this sort of thing."

"We'll tell him," Krolia answered firmly. "Soon. Don't worry about it. Good luck to you either way, Shiro. You're going to do amazing in college."

"Thank you."

The conversation moved on and Keith just frowned to himself. Tell him what? What was going on?

* * *

Keith's parents were busy that week and whatever they needed to tell him apparently slipped their minds. Keith was debating whether or not to ask, then decided that he'd rather not hear any bad news. It was easier to pretend nothing was wrong.

Keith grabbed his video game cartridge when he saw Shiro coming down the sidewalk that day. He was excited, but it was evident that something was wrong. Shiro didn't seem too happy. In fact, he was hunched over and glaring at the ground so hard that he didn't even notice Keith trotting over.

"Hi, Shiro."

Shiro looked up and his expression softened. "Oh, Keith. Uh, sorry buddy, I-I don't think I can play games with you today."

Shiro looked like he was about to cry, and that set off a million alarms in Keith's little mind.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Shiro snapped. Then he realized how harsh he sounded. "Sorry, didn't mean to yell at you. It's just..."

He frowned at the ground again, taking a few steps toward his house. Then he stopped abruptly and turned to Keith again.

"Word of advice, Keith," he said firmly. "Don't stay with anyone who can't respect the choices you make."

Keith didn't understand. He just wanted Shiro not to be upset anymore.

Shiro rubbed his head and took a deep breath. "What game did you bring?"

Keith held up the cartridge "Monster Hunter 3."

"I changed my mind. Let's play."

"Will that make you feel better?"

Shiro finally smiled. "Yeah. Come on, buddy, let's go."

* * *

"Shiro and I played a game today," Keith randomly announced at dinner that night. "He beat all the levels. He's really good."

Heath blinked. "Oh, yeah, that's awesome, sport—uh, Krolia, did you tell him already?"

Krolia has stiffened already and she shook her head. "No, I...I forgot."

Keith felt that unease in his stomach again. "What do you guys need to tell me?"

Heath pushed his food around his plate with his fork. "Well, bud, Shiro is...well, he's planning to—."

"He's moving away," Krolia finished, gently but straight to the point.

Time felt like it suddenly stopped for Keith. He heard the clink of his fork as it hit his plate but didn't look away. "W-what? Moving where?"

"He's going to Japan for college," Heath told him hurriedly. "And his parents are going too—to be close to him and to take care of his grandparents."

 _"Japan?"_ Keith shouted. "B-but that's like on the other side of the world!"

"I know, buddy, I know. But that's what he decided on."

"But _why?_ There's lots of colleges here! A-and why would he want to leave his friends?"

Krolia shrugged. "It's his decision, Keith. We can't tell him what to do. And what about his grandparents? Someone needs to stay with them, they're getting old."

"His parents can go! He can stay!"

"By himself?" Heath supplied gently. "They want to be near each other, Keith. This just happened to be the best solution for all of them. We can't force him to stay."

"But...but I don't want him to go..." Keith whined, trying to stop the tears. "He's my friend..."

His parents were quiet for a moment, Keith's snuffles filling the air around them. Then Heath got up and tapped Keith on the shoulder.

"Come on, buddy, everything's gonna turn out fine. Listen, let's get you washed up and finish dinner now, okay? We'll work this out."

Keith didn't believe that, but he nodded anyway. His dad took his hand and helped him wash his face, but it didn't make him feel any better.

* * *

Keith confronted Shiro about it the next day. "Are you really moving to Japan?"

Shiro took a moment to answer, but he nodded.

Keith could already feel the tears welling up, but he pushed them away. "D-do you have to?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Keith, but it's for my future, and my family, and..." he didn't finish, but he didn't need to.

Keith was already looking at the ground. Then his nodded and started to hurriedly turn away. "I need to go do something. I'll be back."

Shiro didn't try to stop him.

A few hours later, Keith was at his door with a folded piece of paper in his hands. He stepped into the house, face more serious than Shiro had ever seen him.

"This is for you."

Shiro hesitated, surprised that Keith even came back, and then took the paper from him slowly.

"S-sorry if it's messy," Keith said quietly. "I had to make it really quick...before you left."

Shiro didn't know how to reply. He simply opened the paper to reveal a drawing and a note. Scribbled in stick figures that vaguely resembled himself and Keith, happily standing side by side. The note at the top was as messy as a ten-year-old's handwriting would be.

 _"To Shiro,"_ it read. _"I'm sad that you have to leave, but I hope you have a good life in Japan. You've been my best friend ever since I met you, and I will never forget you. Please don't forget me either. Your friend, Keith."_

"Shiro, are you crying?" Keith suddenly asked in alarm.

Shiro hurriedly reached up to wipe his eyes. "No, I-I...I really like this, Keith, I just thought that—." He took a breath and looked down at his wide-eyed friend. Kneeling down, Shiro put a hand on Keith's shoulder and smiled at him as much as he could.

"Thank you so much, Keith. You have no idea how much this means to me. And of course I won't forget you. I never could."

Keith gulped, trying and failing to swallow down his emotions. Then he took a step forward and hugged Shiro as tightly as he could.

* * *

They shared another hug on the day Shiro left, and Keith had to force himself to let go.

Shiro and his parents all had their bags packed in their car and a moving van was already on its way to the airport. Keith's parents were finishing up their goodbyes to Shiro's parents. It was time for them to leave, but Keith still didn't want it to happen.

It was Shiro who finally pulled them apart and gently pushed Keith into the waiting arms of his parents.

"Take care of yourself, okay, buddy?" Shiro said gently. "We'll see each other again one day."

Keith didn't trust himself to say anything without crying. He simply nodded.

Shiro stood, waved goodbye, and slowly got into the car. He cast one last look at Keith and his family, and then they drove away for what felt like would be the last time.

* * *

Ten years passed.

At twenty years old, Keith was a typical college student working a part time job and struggling to stay awake most of the time. It didn't help his mood that his fellow workers at this coffee shop were loud and obnoxious.

...well, okay, most of his co-workers were fine. It was just a couple who annoyed him. Just one. Just Lance.

Said headache was currently flirting obnoxiously with a regular named Allura while Hunk and Pidge were chattering about upgrading the coffee machines. Keith finished up the order he was working on and sighed to himself. Every day was exactly the same around here. He was just hoping that something, _anything,_ would come along and brighten his day.

"Double tall latte with caramel and whipped cream," Keith called out boredly. He slid the cup across the counter, where a tall, shocked-looking man was waiting. "Have a nice day."

He was about to turn away to his next task, when suddenly the man spoke. "Uh—hold on."

Keith stopped and turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

Now that Keith was able to get a better look at him, there was something...interesting about this man. He was handsome, for sure, and the prosthetic arm and scars definitely stood out, but there was something else. Keith couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was the way he was currently gaping at him like a goldfish.

"No, sorry, it's just—" the man stammered. "You—I know you, don't I? You look like—" his gaze fell downward toward Keith's name tag, and his expression brightened. "Keith! Oh my gosh, it _is_ you!"

Keith was just more confused now, and part of him wanted to run away. "I'm sorry, uh...who are you, exactly?"

The man's smile faltered slightly. "What? You didn't forget me, did you? Come on, we lived across the street from each other as kids. We used to hang out all the time."

And then it clicked.

"No way— _Shiro?"_

"Yeah!" Shiro's face brightened again and his smile got bigger. "I can't believe I just ran into you here!"

Keith needed a second to get over his shock. "I—neither can I. It been _years,_ I didn't even recognize you."

"Yeah, I noticed. I don't blame you, I look pretty different—oh my gosh, we seriously need to catch up. When does your shift end?"

"I have a lunch break in two hours."

"No problem, I'll be waiting. It's so good to see you again."

Keith went back to his work with a huge smile on his face, glancing at the clock several times every minute. Hunk and Pidge were watching him.

"Keith, who was _that?"_ Hunk asked slyly.

"An old friend," Keith responded. He was too elated to notice the knowing look his coworkers gave each other.

Lunch break rolled around at last and Keith hurriedly grabbed his stuff to meet Shiro at a table.

Shiro had grabbed a pastry and was apparently waiting just as eagerly. His smile widened again when Keith slid into the seat in front of him.

"Hey," Shiro greeted, breathless.

"Hey," said Keith. He paused, squeezing his cup and wondering what to say next. He wanted so badly to talk to him but he had no idea where to start. "It's...been so long."

"Tell me about it," replied Shiro. "You're older now—well, I mean, duh, it's been ten years."

"Ten years," Keith repeated. He took in Shiro's appearance again. What had injured him and caused him to go grey so early? His stomach lurched at the idea of something bad happening to his old best friend, but he held his tongue. "So—when did you get back to the States? How has Japan been?"

Shiro took a sip of his drink. "Mm, it was great, but I am glad to be back. I moved back a year ago for a new job. Parents wouldn't let me go any sooner, even after I already graduated," he snorted. "Forgot how laid back this place could be compared to Tokyo. And then I got transferred here, so I thought I'd come check out my old neighborhood. I'm glad to see you're still around."

He smiled at Keith over his cup, which of course made Keith flush and look at the table.

"Yep, that's me," Keith replied dryly. "The loser who never travels."

Shiro laughed quietly. "That's not really a bad thing. Are you still in college?"

"Yep. Just a couple more years till I get out of there. Then I can finally get a real job."

"What are you studying?"

"Aerospace. I wanted to go to the Garrison up North, but mom wouldn't let me out of her sight. It's fine, though, my school's got a decent program."

"Oh, Krolia," Shiro said. "Yeah, that sounds like her. I'd love to see her again."

"You should come over, she'd want to see you too," replied Keith. "We're still living in the exact same spot."

"Awesome. What about your dad, how's he been?"

Keith's face suddenly fell. "Oh, uh, actually...we, we lost Dad few years ago." He hurriedly took a sip of his drink, not looking at Shiro. The coffee suddenly felt like it was burning.

Shiro's smile was gone too. "Keith, I-I so sorry—"

"It's okay," Keith cut him off. "Really, it's fine. We've learned to live with it. It was a long time ago anyway." He took a breath, shook his head, and smiled again. "Anyway, you haven't told me about your job."

Shiro blinked. "Oh, right."

They kept chatting, catching up and making easy conversation as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Keith easily lost track of the time and probably would have stayed there all day if Pidge hadn't hollered at him to get back to work.

"Guess my break's over," Keith told Shiro, disappointment obvious in his voice. "I have to go."

Shiro nodded and stood up with him. "Yeah, I'd better get going too." He paused, apparently not sure what else to say. "Uh, I'd like to see you again, though, do you think we can meet up again after work?"

Keith smiled. "Actually, if you want, you can drop by my place later. You remember our street, right?"

Shiro grinned widely again. "How could I forget? I'll be there at seven."

After Shiro left the shop, Keith went back to work feeling happier than he had in a long time. At one point he even caught himself humming, and the coworkers noticed too. He didn't really care, though. Not even when Lance's annoying voice cut through the air with, "How the hell did _Keith_ manage to land a guy who looks like _that?"_

* * *

When the doorbell rang that evening, Keith could barely contain his own excitement. Before Shiro could even say hello, Keith was already giving him a joyful hug.

For a second they both froze. Shiro hugged back, of course, but Keith was already embarrassed. He shyly pulled away from Shiro and gestured toward the living room. "Uh, come on in."

"Thanks," Shiro replied, just as soft. That was new. "Uh, I got you something, also." He pulled out a rectangular box of chocolate and handed it to Keith.

"Aw, you didn't have to," Keith began, but he was interrupted by a voice from upstairs.

"Keith?" Krolia called out. "Who's at the door?"

Keith grinned widely. "Come see for yourself!"

Shiro and Keith exchanged an excited smile as they listened to Krolia's footsteps coming down the stairs. When she appeared, Krolia looked apprehensive at first, but the recognition and surprise became quickly obvious in her expression when she saw Shiro. She closed her eyes in disbelief.

"Holy fucking shit."

Shiro laughed. "You haven't changed at all, Krolia." He held out his hand to shake. "It's great to see you aga—"

Krolia pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

Shiro had to gasp for air, and Keith stifled a laugh.

"I-I don't remember your family being so physically affectionate," Shiro coughed.

"We usually aren't," Keith agreed. He stepped forward to join the hug. "But you're an exception. Welcome back, Shiro."

Shiro smiled again. "It's good to be back."

* * *

Within the next few weeks spending time with Shiro, Keith learned some very important things.

First, Shiro's injuries had come from an accident about a year ago. Shiro seemed fine talking about it, but Keith had verbally promised to find the person responsible for the accident and make them pay with their own money for Shiro's prosthetic. He was joking, of course. Sort of.

Second, Shiro was planning to stay in the area for as long as he could. He'd already liked this neighborhood, but apparently seeing Keith again just gave him more reason to stay. Keith definitely didn't blush like a dumb hormonal teenager when he'd heard that, nope.

Third, he'd actually kept Keith's old goodbye drawing.

Keith had almost laughed when Shiro handed that folded old paper to him, not expecting to see that blast from the past on it.

"You actually kept this piece of crap?" Keith snorted.

Shiro pouted. "It's not a piece of crap! That's special! Of course I kept it."

Keith flushed and shrugged, giving the paper back to Shiro. "Th-thanks. I guess it didn't realize—" he paused, shaking his head. "N-never mind. I'm touched, it's just, kind of weird to see my old drawing."

Shiro have him a lopsided grin. "I assume you're a better artist now?"

Keith shrugged again. "It's more of a hobby, but I would like to think so."

"Could you draw me sometime?"

Keith smacked the drawing into Shiro's chest. "Why? You already like this drawing so much already."

Shiro pouted childishly. "Keith..."

"I'll think about it."

It was dumb, but Shiro's dorky smile made him internally resolve to draw a million portraits of him if that's what he wanted. Apparently, despite all those years apart, Keith's admiration for Shiro had never truly gone away.

* * *

Keith went over to Shiro's apartment after work one day, just to relax. The place was warm, brightly lit, and the couch was too comfy to get off. Keith felt a little bad that he was making Shiro do all the work making food while he sat around, but his friend didn't seem to mind.

"Sorry this place is so small," Shiro said as he plopped down next to Keith with some sandwiches. "I'm saving up to move somewhere bigger."

"I like this, actually," Keith replied. "It's cozy. I wouldn't mind living in a place like this with someone."

Shiro paused, staring at him for a second. "O-oh, yeah. Having a roommate would be nice."

"Roommates are so...impersonal, though," Keith shrugged. "Had one my freshman year, and we barely talked. It was pretty awkward. Maybe with a friend, though."

Shiro stares directly at the floor. "Mm, yeah. A friend."

He seemed tense for some reason. Keith raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

Shiro nodded hurriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine. You, uh, you wanna watch a movie or something?"

Keith hesitated. "...sure. What have you got?"

Shiro picked out some action flick, and they both settled down to watch. In the middle of the movie, Shiro got up off the couch and gave Keith a smile. "I'm going to refill the popcorn."

Keith nodded and let him go...only to realize fifteen minutes later that Shiro hadn't returned, and he no longer heard any popping noises. Keith frowned and forced himself to get off the couch. He checked to see if Shiro had gone to the bathroom, but the door was wide open with no one inside.

Then he heard Shiro's voice coming from the direction of the bedroom—" _God, I'm so fucking stupid, I don't know what I was thinking."_

Keith just frowned deeper, cautiously heading toward the door, which was slightly ajar. He pushed it slowly and peeked his head in. Shiro was leaning against a mirror on the wall, still muttering to himself about how pathetic he was and how "he's going to hate me."

Keith didn't know what was going on, but anything that made Shiro this upset was enough to make him jump into action. He pushed the door fully open and stepped inside the room. "Shiro?"

Shiro flinched so hard that he hit his head on a high shelf, hissing in pain and making Keith feel worse.

Keith was next to him before he knew it, holding his hands out apologetically. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you—are you okay?"

Shiro was just befuddled. "What are you doing in here?"

Keith flushed. "Sorry, it's just that—you were gone for a while, and I got worried."

Shiro blinked, then sighed. He rubbed a hand over his face and said nothing.

"...Shiro, what's going on?" Keith asked quietly. "You're acting strange. Please tell me what's wrong."

Shiro's hand was still covering half his face, but he was still obviously red as he avoided eye contact with Keith. "I'm sorry, I've been meaning to tell you, but...I keep chickening out."

"Tell me what?"

Shiro took a deep breath, steeling himself. He spoke shakily. "Keith...would it be weird if I said I was starting to...like you?"

Keith froze. _What?_

Shiro took one look at his face and immediately started backtracking. "Uh, I mean—not like that—well, no, actually, yes, _like that,_ because you're so different now, you're cool, and smart, and you're an amazing friend—but, that's okay! If you don't feel the same, and you just want to be friends, that's fine too, really! It's just, I—I really admire you, and I like you, but—I won't force you into anything you don't want, so—oh my God, just kill me now."

Keith's brain has already shut down and was currently trying to reboot, all while being bombarded by Shiro's nervous rambling. Shiro being nervous was something new, but that wasn't the point.

Shiro was confessing a _crush._ On _him._ And that just made no sense because Shiro was so much cooler, and clearly Keith should be the one admiring and crushing around here.

"Sh-Shiro," Keith finally stammered. "I—are you serious?"

Shiro looked up from his hands, trying to analyze Keith's shocked, blank expression. "Y-yes?" He replies timidly. "I just—I don't know. Ever since I got back, it's been...different. I just think you're really amazing, Keith." He gulped, and hung his head in resignment. "But it's okay. I understand, you don't feel the same...right?"

Shiro's puppy eyed hopeful expression made a warm feeling spread in Keith's chest. Of course. He'd always loved Shiro.

"Shiro," Keith breathed. "You're my best friend. Of course I feel the same." He felt the blush spread on his face and rubbed his neck shyly. "Truth, is, I'm...pretty sure I had a crush on you when we were little kids, and...apparently...I still do."

Shiro looked bewildered. "You do? Even despite...this?" He held up his prosthetic arm.

Keith's jaw dropped. "Yes! That doesn't change anything, you're still you and I still care about you more than anything."

The words were tumbling out of Keith's mouth, and if it were anyone else he would have regretted it immediately. But this was Shiro, _his_ Shiro, taking in those words with shining eyes and obvious joy that Keith adored.

A smile appeared on Shiro's face. "Really?" he whispered.

"Yeah."

They paused, and then Shiro laughed in relief. Keith joined him, feeling sheepish. Was this really happening? Was he dreaming?

"Uh, so..." Shiro began. "Now what?"

Keith shrugged. "You're the one who's dated people before. You tell me."

"Well—this is different though."

Keith chuckled.

Shiro put his hands into his pockets. "You wanna just...go finish that movie for now?"

Keith nodded.

The atmosphere on the couch was so much more relaxed now. And warmer. So much warmer. By the end of the movie, Keith was pressed up against Shiro, who had an arm around him.

Keith had known from the second they met that Shiro would be special to him. And Keith had always had good instincts.


	2. Stranger At My Door (Flower AU)

Stranger At My Door (Flower AU)

"Will that be all for you today, sir?"

Keith cradled the potted flowers in his arm like a baby. He wasn't really in the mood to talk, but indulging in his hobby unfortunately came with that side effect every now and then.

He'd never pictured himself being into gardening, but lately it's been his favorite way to unwind after long days of work and having to deal with people. He loved the feeling of the dirt between his fingers, and the satisfaction of raising something that didn't cry or poop. Plus it just made his front yard look nice.

Keith paid for the flowers and left the shop, inspecting his new purchase as he walked home. He wasn't entirely sure what kind of flowers they were, but they were a pretty swirl of yellow and red, and that's what mattered. The flaming warm colors were his favorites.

Keith tossed his bag on the couch as soon as he got home, and spent a few hours getting the new flowers situated among their brethren. His front yard was getting a bit crowded, he had to admit, but he'd be damned if he were to uproot any of his plants. He'd put a flowerbed on his roof if he had to.

He put the new flowers in a nice little spot where passersby could spot it (not the he really cared what they thought, but he couldn't help but be kind of proud of his little garden), then went inside to wash off.

After a quick shower and a snack, Keith plopped himself down to relax for the rest of the day. But before he could get comfortable, his doorbell suddenly rang.

Keith tensed up on his couch and groaned. Who the hell was bothering him when he just got back from work? He wasn't expecting anyone. Probably a solicitor, much to his annoyance. He just wanted to relax a bit, and whoever was keeping him from that was about to get a piece of his mind.

Keith opened the door, about to give whoever was there a nice helping of sass, but choked on his own words when he saw the person outside.

The man standing on his porch was a stranger, but dear God, was he a sight for sore eyes. Impressive muscles all around, a chiseled handsome face, soft black-and-white hair that brushed over bright eyes. Did this guy crawl out of a Disney movie or something? Holy crap.

The man looked a bit embarrassed himself, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his head as he gave Keith a lopsided grin. "Uh, hey there," he said.

Fuck, even his _voice_ was attractive.

"I, uh, hope I'm not bothering you," the man continued. "I was just...uh, looking at your flower garden and I was wondering if your could...you know, tell me about it..."

Keith gawked at him blankly. "The...flowers?"

The man flushed. "Ah, you know what? I'm so sorry, I just-I wanted to ask about the flowers, but, I mean, we don't even know each other. I'm just gonna be on my way-"

"Wait no, it's okay," Keith replied hurriedly. He stepped out onto the porch, trying not to stare at any one spot in particular. "You don't have to leave, I'd be happy to tell you about it."

The man blinked, but smiled in relief. "Oh...thank you. I'll try not to take up too much of your time. I'm Shiro, by the way."

Keith shook his hand. "I'm Keith," he replied. "So, what did you want to know?"

Shiro paused. "Ah, it...seems to have slipped my mind-" his eyes brightened. "Oh yeah, I wanted to know where you got these."

Keith followed Shiro off the porch and out to the sidewalk. Shiro pointed at the new flowers curiously, and Keith smiled.

"Oh yeah, I just got those today. Good to see they're already doing some work. I brought them from that Altean flower shop down the street."

"What kind of flower are they? Don't think I've ever seen anything like it before."

"Uh..." Keith frowned and turned away in embarrassment. "I didn't really read the label, so I'm not sure what they're called, sorry."

"Oh, really? I thought you'd know all about them."

"Sorry to disappoint. I'm no expert, I just do this for fun. Stress relief, you know?"

Shiro nodded. "I can understand that. Maybe I could try that for myself."

Keith smiled again. "Well, if you want, that shop I mentioned is a good place to start. A lot of variety without taking all your money, you know? Oh and don't cover your whole yard right away like I did, it's a pain in the ass to get all the dirt ready for planting. I'd start with a small area and get something easy to take care of, like-uh, are you okay?"

Shiro had suddenly flinched for no reason and was now pale in the face. "Uh...sorry, it's just...there's a bee on my shoulder."

Keith blinked and looked down at Shiro's shoulder, where a tiny honeybee had landed for a rest, apparently enjoying the smell of Shiro's cologne. Keith almost snorted.

"That's just a little fuzzball, he's not gonna hurt you." Keith shooed the bee away, and Shiro relaxed.

Keith grinned at him again. "If you're scared of bees, then maybe a flower garden isn't the best idea for you."

Shiro turned sheepish again. "Yeah, you're probably right. I guess I didn't think it all the way through."

"Yeah, a lot of people do that, don't worry. It's easy to forget that they're not just decoration, they're a part of nature."

Shiro nodded. "True, I guess I should try something else. I'm not much of a nature guy, I just think you're pretty."

Keith froze. "What?"

Shiro's face turned completely red and for a second he just stood there gaping like a fish. "Uh-no, I meant-your _garden_ is pretty. I-i-it's arranged nicely. The colors are nice." He looked away and tried to cover his blush with his hand.

Keith himself was feeling the heat rise to his face, and tried to cough off the mistake. "Uh-thank you. I didn't think anyone would notice."

"It's hard not to. Really, it's lovely. I admire your dedication."

Keith hoped his smile wasn't too goofy. "Thanks." He paused for a moment, relishing in the atmosphere. A beautiful day, a handsome stranger, nice smelling flowers. He sighed. "Well, anyway, is there anything else you'd like to know?"

Shiro paused as well, staring ahead in concentration, before deciding that there was no recovering from his mistake. "Uh, well...I'd like to know if you're interested in going out for coffee with me this weekend."

Keith's jaw dropped. Okay, _that_ time definitely wasn't a mistake. Why a gorgeous guy like this would even look in Keith's direction was already mystery, but asking him out? This had to be a dream.

Keith's previous composure had more or less evaporated now, and his answer came out as an undignified squeak, "Yeah."

Shiro's relieved smile returned. He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and scribbled down his number before handing it to Keith.

"Ok, well, I'll...see you around, I guess. Thanks for coming out to talk to me, Keith."

"N-no problem."

Shiro waved goodbye as he left, and Keith headed back inside in a daze. He stared down at the phone number in his hands, still wondering how this wasn't a dream. There was a list of things he expected to come out of his dumb gardening hobby, and getting a hot guy's number wasn't anywhere near that list.

But hey-he wasn't going to say no to a blessing. He'd have to thank whoever invented flowers sometime.


	3. Crush Course--Europe Trip (part 1)

Crush Course-Europe Trip

On a list of ways to spend your last summer before college, a group trip to Europe would be pretty high up. It had been pretty tough to convince everyone's parents that they could handle a trip overseas on their own with no adults other than Hunk's mom, but they'd somehow done it. According to Lance, the argument that had tipped things in his favor with his parents was " _we'll have Allura and Shiro with us."_

Well, that...made some sense, but it seemed that argument was already falling apart on the plane. Allura was busy planning out all the minute little details of the trip, while Shiro was currently distracted by...something else.

Keith had napped on Shiro's shoulder for the majority of the plane ride. His mouth was hanging adorably open like it did when he slept, and he was so cute and warm that Shiro almost couldn't focus on the movie he was watching.

Keith awoke slowly and stretched, rubbing the back of his head and blinking his eyes open. Shiro watched him with a smile. "Morning, sleepyhead."

Keith turned to him, still obviously groggy, and leaned onto his shoulder again. "Hi," he said softly. "Are we almost there?"

"Still got a couple hours to go."

Behind them somewhere, Lance was being very loud as usual, and Keith was finally awake enough to notice. He groaned and clung harder to Shiro's arm, burying his face in his boyfriend's neck.

Shiro chuckled, nuzzling into Keith's hair. "You excited for Rome?"

Keith nodded. "I wanna go to the Colosseum."

"Don't worry, I bet Allura's made some time for that in that color-coded schedule of hers."

He glanced a few seats behind him as he spoke. Sure enough, Allura was bent over several pieces of paper along with her phone, scribbling something down furiously. Beside her, Matt was leaning dejectedly on his hand. When he spotted Shiro, he gave him a thumbs up, not bothering to change his bored expression.

Across the aisle next to Matt sat Pidge, Lance, Hunk, Hunk's mom, and Shay. Lance was engaged in telling some story that apparently had Hunk and Pidge captivated, while Hunk's mom was chatting with Shay.

Shirt sat back in his seat just as Keith started talking again.

"Also I want some authentic Italian food," Keith murmured, still sleepy. "I've always wanted to go to Italy and try some real lasagna."

Shirt grinned. "So you know nothing about Rome except Colosseum and food?"

"Mmmm, no, not really. Didn't they take over the world at some point?"

"I think so. Don't worry, I bet we'll learn all about the history once we get there. It'll be fun."

Keith rolled his eyes affectionately. "I guess if anyone can make learning fun, it's you."

* * *

The last of the group was grabbing their bags on the belt, while Allura stood next to Hunk's mom proudly.

"Ok, you guys, we're going to call a few cabs outside and get checked into the hotel. Drop off our stuff and then head back out for the tour around the city!"

"Allura, we just got here!" Lance complained. "Can't we rest at the hotel for a few hours before we go around touring?"

"We'll have time to rest later, Lance! But the tour starts in an hour so we can't be late!" She whirled around to leave while the others groaned.

"In that case, we'd better get going!" Hunk's mom said cheerfully. "Allura, dear, I can't wait to see what this tour is that you found."

"Mom, please don't encourage her," Hunk muttered.

The trip to the hotel was fairly uneventful. When they got there, Allura went to check them in while the others unloaded their bags off the cabs. She emerged just as they were finishing, and quickly handed a card key to Shiro.

"Here, keep this somewhere safe," she told him. "We're on the third floor, the girls' room will be right across the hall from you."

Keith looked up at this with a frown. "Wait, just two rooms for all of us?"

"Yeah, but don't worry, there's enough beds for all of you!" Allura turned around, busy as a bee, and headed off again. "Drop off your bags and meet me down here in half an hour!"

Once they were in their room, half the boys decided to flop down on various beds and recliners. Shiro took it on himself to grab all their bags and put them in a corner, then walked over to open the window. Keith dutifully stayed next to him but still had a vaguely annoyed look on his face.

"Man," Matt groaned. "If Allura's going to be like this the whole trip, she won't get a chance to actually relax and enjoy it. And I'll barely be able to spend any time with her."

"Matt, she basically planned this trip herself," Shiro replied. He phone buzzed and he pulled it out to text Allura about what to do next.

"I knoooow, but still," Matt whined. "I'm afraid she's going to stress herself out."

"You should talk to her about it," Keith suggested.

Matt shrugged with nothing more than a tired sigh.

Hunk, meanwhile, wasn't paying attention to any of what they were saying, instead frowning at his own phone.

Lance turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Everything okay there, buddy?"

Hunk snapped out of his trance for a moment and shrugged. "I'm just trying to check on Shay. She's been weirdly quiet since we got off the plane, but she keeps brushing me off when I try to ask." He tossed his phone down on the mattress. "I wish I could go check on her now, but my mom was like—" he pressed his lips together and pitched his voice up in an impression of his own mother—" _Women only in this room, Hunk, don't be indecent!"_

"Uugh," Lance groaned loudly. "See, this would never be a problem if you guys would just accept that we should do co-ed rooms. Gender segregation on field trips is a thing of the past, people!"

Keith rolled his eyes from his spot by the window. "You're still on that, Lance? Drop it already."

"Easy for you to say," Lance snapped. "You actually get to share a room with the person you're dating."

"Perks of being gay," Keith shrugged. "But I also have to share with all of you, so how lucky am I, really?"

"Wow, love you too, asshole."

"Guys, this isn't a joke!" Hunk piped up. "I'm worried about Shay, she never acts like this."

"Just give her some space," Lance replied gently. "She'll talk about it when she's ready."

Hunk made an indignant noise, but still took Lance's advice and pushed his phone away.

"Okay," Shiro suddenly announced, pocketing his own phone. "They're waiting for us in the lobby right now. We should get going."

Everyone groaned and peeled themselves off of where they were currently sitting.

* * *

The group soon found themselves seated at the top of a crowded tour bus, wind blowing in their hair as they listened to the tour guide. Tired as they were, they had to admit that Allura had chosen an amazing tour. It was way more fun to learn about culture and history this way than from a textbook. Hunk's mom couldn't stop taking pictures.

Allura took a quick selfie of herself and Matt atop the bus, then hurried to post it online as the guide continued talking.

"Do you want to try dining at the Piazza Navona tonight?" Allura whispered to him. "It's expensive, but I heard it's like, the best place to eat and shop and watch performers."

Matt shrugged. "Sure, we could check it out. If not, we could always find a McDonald's somewhere. Those things are everywhere."

Allura roller her eyes. "I didn't come all the way to Rome for McDonald's, Matt. Hang on, let me pull up a list of cafes at the Novana and see if we can compare prices."

"Wait, right now?" Asked Matt. "We're in the middle of the tour, are you even paying attention to it?"

"Wh—yes, I'm paying attention, she just said...um..." Allura frowned. "Did she...mention the Sistine Chapel?"

"We aren't anywhere near the Sistine Chapel." Matt deadpanned. Allura pouted at him, and Matt gently pushed her phone down away from her face. "Hey,? Take it easy, will you?" Matt asked, squeezing her hand tightly. "Just enjoy where you are, we'll worry about dinner when the time comes."

"I'm don't like going into things without a plan," Allura grumbled. "Especially with a large group like this one."

"...well, tell you what, when we go back to the hotel later, you can plan dinner all you want."

"I guess..."

"Great. This tour is actually pretty fun, okay? Don't miss out on it."

Allura nodded, put her phone away, and finally sat quietly to pay attention.

Meanwhile, Lance was leaning back in his seat and listening to the tour guide talk with a confused expression on his face. "Why are there so many places in this city called _pizza_? I didn't know Italians were _that_ obsessed with their food."

Pidge looked up at him and blinked twice before understanding. "You mean... _piazza_?"

"Yeah."

"That...doesn't mean pizza, Lance. It just means public square or market in Italian."

Lance blinked. "Oh." He leaned back in his chair and gave Pidge a sidelong grin. "Well, aren't you smart. How'd you know that, Pidgey?"

Pidge blinked. "Lance, _I'm_ Italian."

Lance stared at her for a second before his jaw dropped. "Wait what? You are? I thought you were American!"

"I'm...both?" Pidge shrugged. "I've only been to Italy a few times before though. To visit our grandparents, and they didn't live near Rome."

"Huh," Lance replied. "Well, in that case, I'm glad to have you around. You can show me all the cool places to go."

"I just said I've never been here. I'm just as clueless as you are."

"Oh, well...we'll be clueless together, right?" He winked at her with a smirk. "And maybe we can get lost together."

Pidge gave him an unamused stare, then turned away to look outside again. "Save the flirting for Paris, Lance."

Lance huffed and went back to his seat. He listened to the tour a little longer. "Hey look, Pidge, we're coming up on another... _piazza_. See, I can be knowledgeable."

"Proud of you, Lance."

They visited the Colosseum that evening, much to Keith's delight (he asked Shiro to talk a picture of him with it, and Shiro was more than happy to indulge him), as well as a few other places before eventually deciding they were hungry.

"Okay," Allura announced excitedly. "If you guys are all ready, we can head to Novana and get started on picking out a cafe. If we eat quickly, we can be back at the hotel by nine."

"Ooh, actually," Hunk suddenly piped up. "I was looking at a brochure earlier, and apparently there's this little neighborhood where we can get like, real authentic food for cheaper."

Hunk's mom turned to him excitedly. "Ooh, really? Can I see it, sweetie? Authentic food is always better."

"Uhh, hang on, I took a picture of it," Hunk started shuffling through his phone. "It's a bit out of the way, but apparently the trip is worth it. And it's away from all the crowds."

Keith smirked. "Sounds good to me."

Allura tensed up with a pout. "But...what about Novana? I thought that's what we decided on earlier."

"Can't we change the plan a little?" Shiro asked. "A few extra miles isn't going to kill us."

"Well, we don't know how long it will take," Allura insisted. "We could be late getting back home, then we'll be late going to sleep, and we won't get enough hours for the road tomorrow."

"Allura, Allura, sweetheart," Matt cut in, reaching out to gently grab both her shoulders. "You're on vacation. It's okay. We can loosen up on the schedules a little, okay?"

Allura grumbled. "I hate it when we all decide on a plan and then suddenly decide at the last minute to do something else."

Everyone else had turned their attention to Hunk.

"Well, it sounds cool to me," Lance said with a shrug. "If Hunk the food connoisseur says it's more authentic, then we should go."

"Well, I've never _been_ there before, but yeah, we should try it."

"Everyone else on board?" Shiro asked.

He got nods of agreement from everyone else, except for Allura who stared at the ground.

"Them we should find a bus and get going," Hunk's mom declared. "Someone find a bus route to get us there."

While Pidge volunteered to do that, Hunk's mom put her arms around Hunk and Shay happily. "Great choice, sweetheart," she said to Hunk. "It's impossible to find good food at good prices in places like these. Isn't he so smart, Shay?"

Shay obviously want the biggest fan of this hug, but she smiled and nodded at her. "Mhmm. Yeah, he's the smartest."

Hunk groaned. "Mom, leave her alone. You've been crowding her all day."

"Oh?" Hunk's mom asked. "My apologies. I'll go check on the others."

Hunk's mom left them to go talk to Allura. Shay stayed next to her boyfriend, but she crossed her arms over her chest and sunk in on herself.

"Does it seem like she's...sizing me up?" Shay asked.

"What?" asked Hunk. "My mom? No, no, she's just-eager and nosy, that's all. You know, you're my girlfriend and all, so she's just excited and wants to make you feel like part of the family. Sometimes he just doesn't know how to do that, is all."

Shay nodded slowly.

Hunk watched her with a raised eyebrow. "That's...is that what's been bugging you? If it is, it's okay, you don't have to worry. I promise she likes you, she's just a bit overbearing..."

Shay smiled. "Okay, if you say so, Hunk. Thanks."

She put on a smile and turned toward Pidge when she yelled about finding a bus route. But the tension in her shoulders was still there. Hunk tried not to pry. He didn't want to make Shay more upset than she already was.

* * *

"...okay, I admit this place is nicer than I expected," Allura admitted. She pushed the food around on her plate, reveling in the quaint atmosphere of this outdoor cafe. Even Lance was content to be quiet for a change, just enjoying the moment and the good food. Keith was busy stuffing his face with lasagna, finally satisfying his craving.

"See?" Matt said. "That's what happens when you take a breather and go with the flow. Other people have good ideas sometimes, you know?"

Allura nudged him. "Fine, fine, I get it. But at least give me a heads up a few hours before we go next time, okay? I'm no good at dealing with sudden changes."

Shiro snorted. "Yeah, remember the time you sent the entire student council into a panic attack when the New York trip got cancelled."

"You don't have to tell everyone about that!"

Everyone laughed.

"Alright Allura, lesson learned," said Hunk. "We'll get your approval in a timely manner from now on."

"Thank you, Hunk."

The others all dissolved into their own chatter, while Allura leaned over to Matt. "I'm not being too overbearing, aren't I?"

Matt shook his head. "What? No, no, you're...organized. You're making the most of our time on this trip. It's what makes you a good leader."

That seemed to do the trick. Allura smiled and kissed Matt on the cheek, then finally went back to her food.

Pidge was holding up a price of her own dinner up thoughtfully. "This stuff is pretty good, but I remember my grandma used to add this garlic rub that basically made it perfect."

"Katie, nothing in the world will ever beat our grandmother's cooking, and that's just something you'll need to accept," said Matt.

"That good, huh?" Lance mused. "Hey Hunk, you should get a recipe from them."

Hunk didn't reply, suddenly distracted by something.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Hunk's mom agreed. "We could make it together, right sweetie?"

Hunk snapped out of his daze. "Oh yeah. Of course, mom."

"You and your mom cook together?" asked Matt. "That's adorable."

Hunk's mom ate the compliment right up and launched right into stories of the things she and Hunk would make together.

On any other day, Hunk would have gotten embarrassed and made her stop, but right now he was too focused on Shay. In the middle of their conversation she'd suddenly slumped into herself again, pushing her food around on her plate with that far off look in her eyes.

After dinner, they all waited at a bus station, chattering away. Hunk took Shay's hand and pulled her aside.

"Hey, listen..." he began. "I know you're probably tired of me bugging you about this, but I'm worried—what's going on?"

Shay blinked. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"You've been acting strange ever since we got here," Hunk explained. "I really hope I'm not being pushy by asking, but I want to help. Are you okay? Are you feeling sick? Is someone bugging you?"

Shay hesitated, then sighed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't want to be obvious about it, I didn't want to ruin everyone's fun..." she ran a hand through her bangs. "It's just...I've never been away from my family like this before. I'm really happy to be with you guys but...I miss them, you know?"

Hunk's eyes widened with understanding. "You're homesick."

Shay nodded. "I'm sorry. I really don't want it ruin the trip. I keep trying to ignore it, but then stuff happens and Pidge talks about her grandma's cooking, and then I think about my Grandma..." she trailed off and shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's kind of pathetic. It's only the first day and I already want to go home."

"Aw, Shay, it's ok," Hunk said gently, taking her into his arms. "That's not pathetic, it's normal to miss your family." He paused. "I guess me having my mom with me isn't helping much, is it?"

"No, don't worry about that," Shay sniffled. "I can't really blame anyone here."

Hunk nodded, then pulled her away to smile at her. "Well, think of it as a learning curve. You'll be more independent—and you'll have a lot of fun stories to tell everyone when you get home!"

Shay considered this for a moment. "I guess so."

"We're only here for a few weeks, and they'll be over before you know it cause we'll be having so much fun. Then you'll see your family again. Until then, you've got me! And our friends."

Shay finally smiled. "That's true."

The bus arrived, and Lance hollered at the to get on. Hunk put an arm around Shay and walked her to the bus, noting with satisfaction that she seemed a lot more relaxed now.

"Thanks, Hunk," she said quietly once they were seated.

Hunk gave her one more tight hug. "Anytime."

* * *

Rome was noisy at night, but to Keith, it was the right the amount of noisy. In their hotel room, the ambient noise of the city outside was more of a soothing whirr than anything annoying.

Keith finished up in the bathroom and tiptoed back into the main suite. Lance, Hunk and Matt had passed out the second their bodies hit the mattresses. Before long, Shiro had fallen asleep too.

Keith was a little more used to staying up late, but the day had been pretty exhausting. Keith quietly crossed the room so as not to wake anyone else, and gave a silent sigh of relief when he later down on the large bed next to Shiro.

Tentatively, Keith looked over at his boyfriend. Shiro looked so peaceful while sleeping, and it made a soothing warmth spread through Keith's chest. He hesitated for a moment, then moved closer until he was pressed comfortably against Shiro's side. Keith closed his eyes. Shiro was so warm, and the sound of his even breaths was soothing.

Unfortunately, he also had to deal with everyone else's snoring sounds mixed in. It wasn't really a problem per se. He'd shared hotel rooms with Hunk and Lance before. But right now, it was a reminder of the one thing that had been bugging him on this trip.

Everything was perfect so far. He'd done all he wanted to do. Except for one thing, and that was that he wanted to spend some time with Shiro. _Alone._

Maybe he could ask Allura about renting out another hotel room.


	4. Crush Course--Europe Trip (part 2)

**Things get a little spicy toward the end of this, but please note: this is not a smut fic.**

* * *

After a couple more days in Italy, the crew headed to Germany, breezed through a few tiny countries the size of their hometown each, then finally arrived in their next most anticipated city of all.

"Paris!" Lance cried joyfully, sticking his head out the train window. "My favorite city in the world!"

"Have you been here before?" asked Pidge.

"No, but I know what it's all about," Lance replied with a wink. Then he turned to the others. "Guys, check it out! I can see the Eiffel Tower from here! Ooh, and we _have_ to walk down the Champs Elysees!"

"I'm glad you're excited, Lance," Allura told him. "This will probably be the biggest part of our trip so far. Before we go to Eastern Europe anyways."

"Just remember," Matt piped up. "Take it easy, and-"

"-go with the flow," Allura finished. "I know, Matt. But I've still got a list of things we _need_ to do, and I'm not leaving until we're done."

"I want to visit the French countryside," Keith piped up. "I hear it's really nice there, and full of culture."

"I want to try some cheese and wine," said Shiro.

"Wine?" Keith raised an eyebrow. "Are you even old enough?"

"I'm eighteen. That's legal in France."

"Lucky bastard, save some for me." There was a mischievous glint in Keith's eyes as he spoke, but Shiro figured it probably meant nothing.

"Oh hey, you know what we can do," Lance spoke suddenly, uncharacteristically quiet and wistful. He turned to Pidge excitedly. "We could go for a boat ride on the Seine! What do you say, Pidge, you and me?"

Pidge blinked. "Wait, just us? O-on a romantic boat ride?"

"Yeah. It'll be, like, our first official date. Please? I've always wanted to do this with someone."

Pidge hesitated. Part of her wanted to suggest doing something more lowkey for their first date (was that a thing? Were they dating now? Did it work that way?), but Lance looked so innocently excited and sincere. It was so different to how he usually acted, and he seemed so excited that Pidge didn't have the heart to turn him down. So she just shrugged. "Sure, we can do that."

"Yesss," Lance squeezed Pidge in a one-armed hug. "This is going to be great, you're going to love it." Then his smile turned cocky again, like before. "You did tell me to save the flirting for Paris, hope it was worth the wait."

Pidge just turned away to hide her nerves.

* * *

Keith was lying down on one of the beds in their room, staring up at the ceiling thinking about nothing. He supposed he should be exhausted after all they'd done on the trip so far, but he wasn't. In fact, he was ready to go out and explore some more.

Hunk, Lance, and Matt were chattering away while putting their stuff away in the drawers. Shiro appeared next to the bed Keith was laying on and smiled down at him. "Hey."

Keith smiled widely without even thinking. "Hey." He rolled over to the other side of the bed and patted the empty spot next to him. Shiro looked bashful for a second, but obliged and layed down on the bed next to Keith.

"You going to take a nap?" Shiro asked.

"Nah," Keith replied. "I don't think I've had time anyway, Allura's probably gonna call us down any minute."

"Actually, Matt and I convinced her to let us rest for a few hours," Shiro told him. "I don't think even she realized how tired she was until then."

Keith snorted. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Shiro rested his head on his hand and gently stroked Keith's arm. "This trip's been pretty busy," he murmured. "Sorry I haven't been paying much attention to you."

Keith turned toward him, hoisting himself up to get closer and smirked. "Don't worry about it-you're paying attention to me now, aren't you?"

"That's true."

Keith smiled wider and leaned closer to kiss him.

" _Uhhhhh, hello?"_ Lance's voice cut through the air like nails on a chalkboard. "We're right here, you know."

Keith grit his teeth. "Yeah, that's the problem, isn't it," he grumbled under his breath."

Shiro looked up at the other boys apologetically. "Sorry. You guys can just chill, we don't have to go anywhere yet."

Hunk and Lance immediately pulled out their phones. Matt was already falling asleep on his own bed.

Keith rolled his eyes and pulled himself off the bed, nudging Shiro as he stood. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

"Right now?"

"Yeah, since we've got extra time. We can go get some fresh air, maybe get you that wine and cheese you wanted."

Shiro grinned widely and eagerly stood up. "Sure thing, let's go."

Minutes later, the two of them were walking hand-in-hand down the bustling Parisian streets. Shiro had gotten his cheese and both had gotten some ice cream. Shiro had a content smile on his face.

They sat on a bench to finish their treats and idly watched people walk by. "Man, what a trip this had been," Shiro commented. "Everything's going by so fast, but it also feels like forever since we left home."

"Yeah, it's nice to finally relax a bit."

Shiro stared ahead and kept musing. "Soon, it'll breeze by, and then we'll all be off to college."

Keith felt a pang in his gut at the thought and quickly took Shiro's hand to draw his full attention. "Don't think about that yet. We're here now, aren't we?"

Shiro nodded and smiled warmly. "Yeah, we are. I know it's been kinda hectic, but.. I'm really glad to be here with you, Keith."

Keith smiled wider at the soft blush coloring Shiro's face and squeezed his hand. "Me too."

He leaned forward and pressed their lips together, drawing a surprised gasp from Shiro before he kissed back tenderly. Keith sighed happily into the kiss and deepened it after a moment. Finally, he was getting some alone time with his boyfriend, and he was hungry for more.

Keith pushed forward more, clutching at Shiro's collar and sliding his tongue into Shiro's mouth. Shiro gasped and moaned quietly, and the sound sent a pleasant shiver through Keith and encouraged him to press forward. He reached up to cradle Shiro's head in his hand, when Shiro suddenly pulled away, flushed and gasping for air.

"O-ok, that's enough, Keith, we're in public..."

Keith pouted, but the sight of Shiro with his flushed face and swollen lips was enough to satisfy him for now. "Sorry," he said. "I guess I got carried away."

Shiro laughed quietly, then started to stand up. "We should probably start heading back."

He got up and reached his hand out to Keith. Keith grinned and instead wrapped an arm around Shiro's waist when they started walking. Shiro smiled wider and put his arm around Keith's shoulders, kissing him on the forehead.

Keith sighed happily, relishing in the remaining time they had before getting back to the hotel. Being with Shiro always made him feel like he was on cloud nine. And that just made him more determined to get even more of that time later.

* * *

Pidge was sitting with her knees pulled up tightly against her chest, staring straight ahead as she tried to calm herself down. She'd nonchalantly agreed to go for a romantic boat ride with Lance. And so what? It was just Lance. Why was she suddenly struggling to stay calm and think about literally _anything_ else?

Nearby, Hunk's mom was sleeping soundly, and Allura was just waking up from a well-deserved nap of her own. Shay was in the kitchen making herself a cup of tea. So that gave her exactly...nobody to talk to about her growing anxiety. Part of her wished that Matt was here, but then again Matt still had his protective big brother schtik going on and he probably wasn't the best person to talk to about this.

Shay came back out into the room with a tiny cup of tea in her hand. "Hey Pidge, you okay?"

Pidge flinched slightly. "Uhh, yeah, why do you ask?"

"You seem tense," Shay replied softly. "You want me to make you some tea?"

Pidge bit her lip, thinking about it for a moment. "...is there mint tea?"

"Let me go take a look."

Minutes later, Allura was fully up and on her phone to look at their itinerary. Shay was back and sitting on the foot of her bed, and Pidge was slowly drinking a calming cup of tea. It was quiet, and then Shay spoke up again.

"So...you wanna talk about what's making you so tense?"

Pidge shrugged. "It's...kind of silly."

Shay grinned wider. "Still helps to talk about it. I learned that lesson the hard way."

Pidge hesitated for a moment. "Well, it's just...Lance invited me to go on a boat ride with him."

Allura looked up at this. "Is this the Seine boat ride he told me about?"

"Yeah, probably."

Shay put a hand over her heart. "Aww! That sounds so romantic!"

Pidge gulped. "Yeah, that's the problem-it's so romantic and sappy, and I've never dealt with anything like that before. I've never even been on a _date_ before. I don't even know how to act on a date, much less a dramatic one like this."

Allura and Shay looked at each other.

Pidge sighed and drank more of her tea, embarrassed. "I'm...probably overthinking this, huh?"

"You sure are," Allura replied with a cheeky grin. "You know Lance. He likes to show off, but he's not going to _expect_ anything from you. Don't stress yourself out. Dates are supposed to be fun."

"It's like hanging out with a good friend," Shay supplied. "A best friend, ideally. You guys will be fine."

Pidge nodded, already feeling a bit better. "I guess so. Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Allura replied. She grinned widely and swung her legs over the side of the bed so she could sit up. "But, that being said, if it's a date, we need to figure out what you should wear!"

Pidge's smile disappeared. Allura trotted over to Pidge's suitcase and started to open it up.

"Do we have to?" Pidge whined. "It's just a boat ride."

"Come on, Pidge, have some fun! A date is the perfect time to dress up a little! You brought dresses with you, right?"

Pidge sighed, but put down her cup and got up to help Allura look.

* * *

A couple hours later, Pidge and Lance were atop a slow moving boat floating along the Seine, leaning against the rail and taking in the view. Pidge adjusted the hairband on her head, taking in the sights of the beautiful city around them. Next to her, Lance took a deep breath of the cool evening air.

"Oh, man, this is even nicer than I thought it would be," Lance sighed happily. "Thanks for coming with me, Pidge."

"No problem," Pidge said, twirling some her her hair on her finger. "Thanks for inviting me. I've never done anything like this before."

"Yeah me neither, it's been on my bucket list for a while," Lance replied.

Pidge smiled. "A date on the river was on your bucket list? Not, like, the Eiffel Tower or anything?"

"Not just any river, Pidge, it's the _Seine._ It's _the_ most romantic river in _the_ most romantic city."

"Ok, ok, you're a romantic, I get it," Pidge giggled. "Must be a big deal, then. I feel a bit underdressed." She smoothed down the simple green dress she was wearing.

"Nah, you look great," Lance said with a wink. He took another deep breath, then turned to her again. "So, what do you want to do, you wanna trade facts?"

Pidge blinked. "What?"

"I mean, first real date, we should get to know each other better," Lance shrugged. "I didn't even know you were Italian until like, last week."

"True. Well, what do you want to know?"

Lance thought for a moment. "Hmm, favorite food?"

"Peanut butter cookies," Pidge replied instantly. "And peanut butter in general. But not peanuts. They're too dry."

"Garlic knots are my favorite."

"Yeah, I figured with how you were devouring them in Rome."

He gave her a nudge and moved on. "Ok, how about family? Siblings?"

"Just Matt."

"Lucky. I have _four_ older siblings, and they drive me nuts," Lance held up four fingers to illustrate. "Marco, Luis, Veronica, and Rachel. I love them, but they seem to love embarrassing me more."

Pidge giggled. "So we're both the babies in our families?"

Lance nodded. "It's great, you get to be the prankster. I think we're the youngest in our friend group too. Does that make this puppy love?"

"Love?" Pidge blushed. "You sure move fast, don't you?"

Lance looked surprised, then hurt. He stared down at Pidge with a pitiful frown on his face, and Pidge felt her heart sink. Had she said something wrong?

"I-I mean-" Pidge stammered. "Th-this is the first date, right? Nothing against _you,_ it's just-"

Lance grinned at Pidge's flailing and gave her another nudge. "I'm just messing with you, Pidge. Let's just keep this fun."

Pidge huffed. "Don't _do_ that," she complained. "I've never been on a date before, I keep worrying about what I could mess up."

Lance's eyes widened. "This is your _first date?"_ He looked around the boat and their location, a smile slowly spreading on his face. "Damn. Well, what do you think? I'm setting the bar pretty high, aren't I?"

Pidge rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Sky high. I'm swooning right now. Let's go back to that fact game."

"Fine, fine. Favorite movie?"

"Star Wars. Specifically _Empire."_

"Yeah? I thought _Phantom Menace_ was better."

Pidge's jaw dropped in utter shock and betrayal.

Lance burst out laughing. "Oh my God Pidge, your _face._ " He stopped to catch his breath. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I just wanted to see your reaction."

Pidge placed a hand over her heart in relief. "Oh, phew, you scared me. That could have been a dealbreaker."

Lance wiped a tear from his eye. "Aw man, that face was adorable. Nah, I've never actually seen a Star Wars movie. My favorite movie is _The Notebook."_

"Really?"

"I'm a romantic, remember?"

Pidge giggled. "Well, there is romance in Star Wars, if you're interested. Between the badass rebel princess and the charming scoundrel."

Lance smirked. "Hey, that kinda sounds like us."

Pidge felt herself turn red. "I...guess, kinda."

For a moment they didn't speak, instead choosing to lean on the railing and stare out at the city in comfortable silence. Pidge hoped her goofy smile wasn't too obvious right now.

"...you know," she spoke up again. "You're a lot easier to talk to that I first thought you'd be."

"You think so?" asked Lance. "Does that mean we're compatible?"

"I don't know. Does it?"

"In my experience, it's usually a good sign."

Pidge just shyly turned away, smiling wider.

The rest of their boat ride, as well as the walk back to the hotel, was more of the same. More talking, laughing, teasing, enjoying the early evening stars and each other's company.

Lance phone buzzed at some point, and he rolled his eyes at the text. "Looks like they're getting ready to get back on track," he told Pidge. "Guess we should stop meandering and head back."

Pidge pouted. "Is it over already?"

"Don't worry, Pidgey, you can sit next to me at dinner."

They arrived in front of their rooms, where they could hear everyone noisily getting ready. Lance but his lip.

"Looks like this is our last moment together for a while. Guess this is the part where I kiss you goodbye for now."

Pidge blushed again, looking down.

Lance grinned. "Let me guess, first kiss?"

Pidge nodded.

"Then I guess I'll have to make it special, huh?"

"You just don't stop flirting, do you?"

"It's in my blood." Lance shrugged. "I mean, unless you don't _want_ to kiss me, then-"

"I-I didn't say that."

Lance paused, scanning her face to try and guess what she was thinking. Then he started leaning forward. Pidge felt herself start to lean as well, eyes fluttering closed, heart pounding in her ears.

Lance cupped her face in his hand and pulled her face up toward him, holding her in place as he kissed her gently. It was short, sweet, and probably the most amazing thing that Pidge had ever experienced.

Lance pulled away and smiled down at her face, which was probably red again. "Satisfied?"

"Shut up," she giggled. Pidge backed toward the girls' hotel room, knocking on the door without looking away from him. "I-it was...really nice. Thanks, Lance. I had a great time. I hope you don't mind if our next date would probably be more downplayed."

Lance's smile grew at the words "next date," and he tried to shrug nonchalantly. "As long as it's with you, I don't mind. See you at dinner?"

Pidge nodded happily. "Yeah, see you lat-ahh!"

Before she could finish, the door opened and Allura yanked her inside.

* * *

Dinner passed by pleasantly enough. Between Pidge and Lance feeding each other and giggling like a pair of kids, and Hunk's mom sharing several embarrassing stories, it seemed like everyone was having a good time. Shiro was quietly munching on his food, content to watch everyone until Keith got back.

Keith had pulled Allura aside and was talking about something with her. Allura seemed rather annoyed with whatever was going on, but she rolled her eyes and handed Keith a card, to which Keith looked like he was giving her an ecstatic thanks. Shiro raised an eyebrow. That looked like one of the card keys to their hotel rooms. Weird.

The two of them made their way over. Allura took her spot next to Matt and waved off whatever her previous conversation was about. Keith, on the other hand, approached Shiro with the biggest smile on his face and plopped down.

His joy was infectious, and Shiro found himself smiling right back. "Hey," he said. "What are you so happy about?"

"Ah, nothing," Keith replied, still smiling. "I'll tell you when we get back."

"Did Allura just give you her card key or something?"

Keith blinked, but quickly shook his head. "No no, it's not hers, it's..." he paused, then leaned close to Shiro and lowered his voice. "It's for a surprise I've been planning for you," he whispered, his smile turning mischievous. "You see."

Keith's tone sent a chill down Shiro's spine. He wanted to ask more, but Keith was already stuffing his face and it was clear he wasn't going to say anything. Shiro pouted, and went back to his dinner, trying not to worry himself.

When they got back to the hotel, Shiro was about to head into their room, when Keith suddenly grabbed his arm and started pulling him away.

"Wh-Keith, where are you going?"

Keith's sly smile was back, excitement in his eyes. "The surprise."

Shiro followed him, confused, until Keith stopped in front of another room and pulled out the key card. Shiro's jaw dropped. "Keith, did you-?"

"I convinced Allura to let us rent an extra room for a night," Keith finished excitedly. He slid the card in, opening the door when the light turned green and pulling Shiro in behind him. "We've finally got a room for ourselves. Come on."

Shiro's mouth just hung open as he was dragged in. He was still trying to process how to feel about this, and Keith was already full speed ahead. He shut the door, tossed the card key aside, and advanced toward Shiro until he was pressed up against him, hands resting on Shiro's chest.

Shiro could feel himself blushing deep red. "U-uh...wow, Keith, I-when did you do this?"

Keith snorted, softly rubbing Shiro's chest and shoulders. "Well, it took me all afternoon. Allura wasn't really happy that I was asking her to cough up money for another room, but I managed to convince her." He glanced up flirtatiously at Shiro, somehow making himself look more adorable than usual. "It was worth it, though."

Shiro was starting to get a bit woozy. "Y-yeah. I guess it would be nice to not have...prying eyes..."

Keith chuckled and pulled him down into a deep, slow kiss. Shiro immediately forgot about everything else. His head with swimming, both from being tired after a long day, and from being spellbound by Keith's touch. All he could think about was the feeling of Keith's mouth on his.

He didn't notice that Keith was pushing him backwards until his knees collided with the side of the bed. Next thing he knew he was sprawled out on the mattress, Keith hovering over him with that same coy grin. Shiro's face started burning again, his heart pounding in his ears.

Shiro huffed out a laugh, gently pushed Keith away and adjusted himself so he could lean against the pillows. "I-I guess we haven't really gotten many chances to be alone on this trip," he said. "Didn't realize you missed me that much."

Keith plopped down next to him and rested a hand on Shiro's knee. "Do you like your surprise?" He asked cheekily.

"Yeah," Shiro replies, smiling widely at him. "But you could have at least let me stop by the other room and grab some lighter clothes to sleep in."

Keith's grin slowly grew again, in a way that made Shiro's head spin once more. His hand slid from Shiro's knee to his thigh, and he leaned close. "You don't need them."

Before Shiro could figure out what he meant, Keith was kissing him again. Shiro was helpless to resist. It was so easy to get lost with Keith, to melt at any kind of touch—and man, Keith was really going for it right now.

Shiro pulled away slightly. "What is it that you want, Keith?"

Keith didn't break eye contact. "You."

Shiro's heart started racing again.

Keith suddenly looked a little shy, but didn't move away. "Shiro, I...know we haven't been together for that long, but you've become so important to me, more than I've ever imagined. You're my rock. You keep me stable, you make me happy. I love you."

"I-I love you too, Keith."

Keith's expression softened. He pressed their foreheads together, stealing a couple more kisses along the way. The kisses started getting a bit more intense, and Keith swung his leg over to straddle him. Shiro was suddenly breathless.

"I wanted so badly to get a room without without everyone else getting in the way," Keith continued, voice low. "Everything is perfect now. We're in Paris. I'm with you, and I want..." he paused to take a breath. "I want to go further with you. I want to _show_ you how much I love you. I want to _make_ love."

Shiro throat was dry. "K-Keith..."

Keith moved closer again, rolling his hips and sending a shiver through Shiro's body. He pressed his lips against the crook of Shiro's neck, lowering his voice even more. "What do you say?"

"I..."

Shiro inhaled a shuddering breath as Keith pressed more kisses to his neck. His mind was still spinning, trying to get his thoughts in order. He'd never thought about _this_ before—well, he _had,_ but he's never thought it would come so soon. Then again, Keith had more experience than him with relationships, and to him, they were probably taking it slow. Shiro couldn't disappoint him...right?

"Y-yeah..."

Keith smiled against his skin, and pushed Shiro further down into the mattress. He sat up for a moment and took off his shirt, and Shiro didn't get the chance to react before Keith came back down for another deep, slow kiss.

His heart was still pounding hard. He was getting dizzy. Keith was starting to reach under Shiro's shirt and was still rolling their bodies together rhythmically. Shiro felt all of it, and none of it. It was so much all at once. This should be all he wanted from the boy he'd been in love with for so long, but everything felt like it was happening so fast. The feeling of Keith so close and intimate, the desperate kisses, the heat of the room, the fact that it felt like he could barely _breathe_ —

"W-wait, stop—."

Keith didn't hear him. His hand left Shiro's chest and started traveling downward.

"Keith, _stop."_

Keith froze. Shiro inhaled a deep breath and started pushing Keith off of him.

"Shiro, what's wrong—."

"I-I'm sorry, I-I-I just—I'll be right back."

It was too hot. He needed some cold water or—or _something._

Shiro stumbled into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and took a moment to catch his breath. The dizzy feeling from earlier started fading, and was now replaced by absolute mortification.

...well, _fuck._ He'd messed that up spectacularly, hadn't he? What the hell was wrong with him, why would he be afraid of this? Especially with someone he cared so deeply for.

Shiro leaned back against the wooden door. He should probably apologize for that embarrassment, but he didn't want to face Keith after letting him down. On the other hand, the idea of Keith trying to pull him back into bed didn't sound too appealing either.

Shiro covered his face with his hands. He was actually hiding from his boyfriend. His patheticness truly knew no bounds, didn't it?

In the end Shiro ended up taking a quick shower then and there to clear his head.

It was definitely still embarrassing, he decided, but not the end of the world. Keith had jumped the gun a little, but he'd understand if Shiro was hesitant, right? He wouldn't be mad at him, right?

Shiro dried himself off and pulled on the same clothes he'd been wearing before. He took a deep breath and opened the door, ready to apologize to Keith for running out on him like that.

But when he opened the door, he froze. Keith was still seated on the bed shirtless, slumped over and...had he been _crying?_ Shiro's jaw dropped.

The second Keith saw him, he bolted up to him, pausing only a few steps in front of him with the most heartbroken expression of guilt Shiro had ever seen. It felt like an arrow to the heart.

"Shiro, are you okay?"

Shiro was taken aback by his tone, but he reached out to pat Keith's arms reassuringly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You looked like you wanted to get away from me, I-Shiro, I'm _so_ sorry, I should have realized you weren't comfortable, I didn't mean overstep like that, I wasn't-I thought that-"

Shiro placed both of hands on Keith's shoulders to try and calm him down. "Hey, Keith, it's okay! I promise it's okay. I probably could have handled that better myself-panicking and running off like that probably wasn't the best idea..." he paused. "Did you just sit there waiting for me the whole time?"

Keith nodded. "I didn't want to go after you after that, I-I thought you wouldn't want to see me."

Shiro bit his lip.

"This is my fault, I-shouldn't have just sprung it on you like that. I shouldn't have made you feel like you had to do anything for me, I-" he sniffed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Shiro couldn't help but smile and pull Keith into a hug. "Yes, I'm sure, Keith, I promise. You didn't scar me for life or anything like that."

Keith finally relaxed in Shiro's arms and hugged him back. "Oh, good. I-if I'd-If I'd hurt you, I would have never forgiven myself."

"You could never hurt me."

"Shiro, did you only say yes to make me happy?"

Shiro hesitated. "I just thought...since you went through all that trouble to get the room..."

"Oh, Shiro, you don't owe me anything, you know that," Keith replied, hugging him tighter. "I just wanted us to be together."

Shiro smiled. "Well, we _are_ together right now, aren't we?"

Keith finally pulled away, a relieved smile on his face. "I guess we are." He paused. "I guess we should get some sleep, then. You're okay with cuddling, right?"

Shiro grinned wider. "I'm always up for cuddling. Just let me go grab something more comfortable to sleep in."

Keith laughed sheepishly and let him go.

* * *

Lance squinted at both Shiro and Keith as they joined everyone for breakfast the next morning. Shiro was already up and rolling, asking everyone what they were planning to do that day, while Keith clung onto him like a leech, the way he always did in the mornings. The smiles they gave each other were gooier than usual, and this did not go unnoticed.

Lance leaned over to Allura, who was sipping coffee next to him.

"Those two didn't sleep in our room last night," Lance whispered.

Allura rolled her eyes. "Please just leave it alone, Lance. I want to enjoy the rest of this trip in peace."


	5. Tailfins--The Big Change (part 1)

Tailfins-The Big Change

As soon as Shiro was able to take a break from whatever princely studies he was working on today, he burst out of his study and began searching frantically around the palace.

"Hey Pidge, have you seen Keith?"

Pidge barely managed to hide the fact that she was rolling her eyes. She pointed with the tiny tool she was holding to a door up the stairs. "I saw him standing at the east balcony earlier. He might still be there. Or he might have gone down to the beach, you know how he is."

"Thanks."

Shiro headed up the large flight of stairs to the place where Pidge had indicated. Sure enough, there was Keith, leaning on the railing and staring wistfully out at the ocean. Shiro paused for a moment just to look. Keith had cut his hair since he'd first arrived here from the ocean all those months ago. Even though Shiro now got to see him all day, every day, Keith never became any less breathtaking.

Shiro stepped forward, getting his boyfriend's attention. Keith smiled widely and Shiro approached to hug him behind. He slowly snaked his arms around Keith's waist and nuzzled into his neck, relishing in the delighted laugh he got in response.

"Hey," Shiro whispered, placing a kiss on Keith's cheek.

Keith leaned into his touch. "Hey yourself. You finally get done?"

Shiro groaned into Keith's shoulder. "For today. There's so much stuff to get through. I envy you for not being the crown prince, you don't have to deal with any of this."

"Oh, you poor baby," Keith teased, reaching up to pat Shiro's head.

Shiro hummed and squeezed him tighter. "Anyway, enough of that. You wanna go down to the beach?"

Keith nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I was just waiting for you so we could go."

"You know you can go down there by yourself."

"I don't want to."

Shiro laughed. He took Keith by the hand and led him toward the stairs, smiling the whole time.

"I still need help getting down the stairs." Keith piped up.

"No you don't, you've had those legs for almost a year," Shiro replied.

"Hey, it's really hard to get used to, okay?" Keith insisted. "Gravity and weight is really weird when you're not underwater."

Shiro smirked. "You know, if you want me to hold you while we walk, all you have to do is ask."

Keith flushed pink, but he didn't try to deny it. Shiro knew that his by now. He'd needed help getting used to walking after his magical transformation from merfolk to human, but he'd been a fast learner. Shiro had quickly picked up on the fact that he was pretending to still need help because he wanted an excuse to cling tightly to Shiro everywhere he went.

Keith grumbled under his breath, but he didn't resist when Shiro put an arm around him and led him down the stairs. They passed by a couple of servants on their way out of the palace, all of whom just sighed and shook their heads at how sappy the two of them continued to be.

When they got down to the beach, Keith wasted no time tossing off his shoes and splashing into the shallow water. He stretched his arms up high above him with the biggest smile on his face, and Shiro immediately went to join him.

"It's so nice out here," Keith remarked. "I'm so glad we can still come here all the time."

"Just like old times, huh?"

Keith hummed in agreement. He climbed on top off their favorite rock, patting the spot beside him for Shiro to sit, which Shiro happily obliged to. It was nostalgic, sitting here with Keith. Just like all those times where the star-crossed merfolk prince and human prince would meet in secret, but now, without the worry that either of them might get hurt.

"So," Keith began. "What have you been studying lately?"

Shiro scoffed. "Ah, you know, the usual. Politics, economics, stuff I don't like thinking about."

"Well, it is your job, Mr. Future King."

"Stop," Shiro groaned. "I want to take a mental break, talk to me about literally anything else."

"Fine." Keith absentmindedly kicked his feet around in the water. "You been down to the marketplace lately?"

"No, why?"

"Nothing really, there's just been some new arrivals setting up shop and I've been meaning to check them out. I go down there every so often, it's pretty fun. Lively, like you said."

Shiro smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it. I only wish I had time to do the same."

"Nobody's stopping you. You should get out of the palace more, and not just walk down to the beach. It gets kinda lonely going out there by myself."

"You go by yourself?" Shiro asked with a frown. "Shouldn't you take Matt, or one of the other guards with you?"

Keith frowned. "I don't need a bodyguard, Shiro, I can take care of myself."

"I know that, but-well, _I_ never go into town without a guard. It's safer. It's not that I don't trust our citizens but some people aren't...the biggest fans of royalty."

"Relax," replied Keith. "Pretty much no one outside the palace knows who I am or what I look like. In fact, bringing a royal guard would probably just tip people off that I'm royalty in the first place."

Shiro paused to consider this. "I...guess so."

"You worry too much," Keith told him, scooting closer to lay his head on Shiro's shoulder.

Shiro smiled again and put an arm around him. "I love you too much."

"Then _trust_ me. I'll be fine."

"Ok, Keith. I won't tell you what to do. I just want you to be safe."

Keith smiled up at him. "If you want me to have a bodyguard so bad, you can do it."

"I'm the prince," Shiro replied with a smirk. "That would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?"

"Then I'll be _your_ bodyguard." He pouted. "Either way, you should seriously take some time off and go have more fun in your actual kingdom, before you become king, and then you'll really have no time."

Shiro scoffed. "Hopefully that won't be anytime soon."

"You wanna go right now?"

Shiro pressed his lips together. "I...should really get back to my work soon..."

Keith pulled away from him and shrugged. "Ok then. I guess I'll just go back to being lonely."

"Ugh, you had to go there. Fine, fine, we can go."

Keith beamed and hopped off the rock, dragging Shiro with him by the hand. "Great! You can help me figure out what some of these celebrations are about. People just seem to party all the time and nobody explains why."

"That's why you shouldn't go alone."

"I've got you now."

"Oh, I see, this is just a ploy to go with _me_ specifically."

"Shush."

Shiro chuckled to himself as Keith pulled him along. And to think that months ago, he and Keith weren't able to go anywhere but the beach. Now he could go anywhere he wanted with the love of his life, and he could get away from his responsibilities. His life was perfect.

* * *

When Shiro and Keith returned to the palace, arms full with special deals and dumb gifts for each other, it was clear that something had changed. There was a carriage in front of the door, one that Shiro recognized instantly.

Keith looked confused. "What's going on?"

Shiro frowned. "I don't know. Let's go find out."

They walked up to the large palace doors, where Matt was waiting for them dutifully.

"Prince Shiro, you're back," said Matt. "A message just came to you from Central."

"Central?" Keith asked.

"Central Palace, in the middle of Arus," Matt explained. "The one where the king lives."

Shiro was still frowning. "My father sent me a message?"

Matt nodded. "Yes, but the messenger refused tell us until you arrived yourself. He's in the main hall right now."

Shiro nodded hesitantly. He and Keith both followed Matt inside, placing their stuff on a table before heading into the main hall.

Keith looked up curiously at Shiro, who now looked more frustrated and anxious than before. So much for getting him to relax.

The other palace staff were gathered in the hall, and the messenger wasn't too hard to spot. He was tall, with a long nose and a snobbish air about him, though he didn't seem to be having trouble making small talk with the palace staff.

When Shiro arrived, he immediately turned to him and bowed dutifully.

"Your Highness," the messenger drawled. "It's been years. So wonderful to see you again."

Shiro didn't know who this was, but he greeted him back. "Likewise. What brings you here?"

The messenger hesitated. "Well, I bring...regrettable news from Central. It's about your father, the king."

"What does he want from me now?" Shiro snapped.

The messenger blinked. "I-I'm afraid he can't possibly want anything from you. He is dead."

The room went dead silent.

It took a moment for the words to sink in. Shiro's face fell. Keith stared up at him in concern.

"Wh-what?" Shiro stammered. "What do you mean?"

"He suddenly fell ill last week," the messenger explained sadly. "We did everything we could, but he died shortly after. I am so sorry."

The others in the room started to whisper, but Shiro didn't move.

When Shiro didn't respond, the messenger continued. "I was also sent here to fetch you. You're next in line for the throne. We have several agreements in the works with other kingdoms, and we need a king to oversee them. Your coronation has already been planned for the week after next"

"I-I..." Shiro barely managed. Keith's heart ached and he immediately reached out to touch his shoulder.

The messenger looked down solemnly. "I can see you need some time to yourself. Forgive me, Your Highness. We will discuss this again later."

Shiro nodded. Without another word, he walked past everyone in the room, up the stairs to his bedroom.

"Oh man..." Hunk murmured.

Keith gulped. He waved a hand to signal everyone to get back to work, and headed up the stairs to where Shiro had gone.

Keith slowly opened the door to their shared bedroom, poking his head in to avoid startling his boyfriend. "Shiro?" He called softly.

Shiro was sitting on the edge of the bed, hunched over with an expression of shock on his face. He looked up briefly at Keith, but then went back to staring at the floor.

Keith closed the door behind him and walked over. He sat down next to Shiro and gently placed a hand on his shoulder again. "I'm so sorry," he said softly. "I knew what it's like to lose a dad."

Shiro closed his eyes and gulped, trying to contain himself. "W-we didn't really get along too well," he whispered. "You probably noticed that. We were on better terms when I was a kid, and I guess...deep down, I hoped that...maybe one day we could reconcile."

The reality finally seemed to sink in. Shiro started to wipe away the tears that had suddenly appeared, but Keith wouldn't let him bottle it all up like that. He scooted closer and pulled Shiro into his arms. Shiro gave in right away. He clung tightly to the back of Keith's jacket and allowed himself to cry. He never thought he'd cry over his dad.

Keith just held him, rubbing his back comfortingly. "It's gonna be okay, Shiro. I'm here. I've got you."

Shiro was done in a few seconds, replying to Keith with some sniffles. He pulled away, wiping the remaining tears from his face, but then leaned in again. His forehead rested against Keith, and he was already exhausted. They were probably going to be here for a little while, but Keith didn't mind that.

* * *

Hours later, Shiro was stable enough to go back and talk to the messenger about what would be done now. Keith was there, but he was too busy watching and worrying about Shiro to pay attention to what was being said.

It wasn't until they were alone again that Shiro finally reminded him what was going on.

"I'm going to be the King of Arus."

Keith turned to Shiro to see him staring gravely out the window.

"They want me to be the king, Keith," he continued, as if he couldn't believe it himself.

Keith hesitated, then walked over to stand next to him. "Yeah, that's...that's what you've been preparing for since you were young, isn't it?"

"But I still don't know if I'm ready," Shiro admitted, uncertainty creeping back into his voice. "This isn't studies, this isn't simulations, this is the real thing. If I make a mistake..."

Keith stopped him with another touch. "Shiro, it's gonna be okay," he repeated. "You've been preparing for this your whole life. You're smart, and courageous, and you're going to be a great leader. I know you will."

Shiro blinked at him. "How are you so sure?"

"I wouldn't have fallen in love with you if it wasn't true."

Shiro finally smiled, and that was mission accomplished for Keith.

"Let's just take this thing one thing at a time," said Keith.

"Yeah, you're right," Shiro replied. "We need to focus on moving out of here first."

Keith blinked, surprised. "Move?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear what the messenger said? We're moving to the Central Palace. I can't rule from out here. I'm taking you and some of the servants with me."

Now it was Keith's turn to be shocked. "O-oh." He looked out the same window as Shiro, where he got a clear view of the beach. _Their_ beach. The ocean. "Y-yeah, I...guess you can't rule a kingdom if you're living on the outside edge of it like this..."

Shiro seemed to know what he was thinking. "You're going to miss the ocean, aren't you?"

Keith nodded. "It's...the only connection I have to my old life."

"...Do you want to stay here?"

Keith whipped his head to look at him. "What?"

Shiro looked down. "You don't have to come with me. I'm the only one who has to go to the big palace, but if you'd be happier staying out here, you can."

Keith gaped. "Wh-no, that would mean we'd be separated. I'm not staying here without you."

"Are you sure?" asked Shiro. "Central is nothing like here. There's no view of the water, and the air is probably way more polluted, and-"

"I don't care," Keith replied. "I already gave up my home and went through a magical transformation to be with you, I don't want us to be a apart." He reached out to take Shiro's hands and looked him dead in the eye. "I'm with _you_ , Shiro. No matter what I have to sacrifice."

Shiro looked like he was going to cry again. "Oh, Keith." He leaned forward and kissed him lovingly on the mouth, hugging him close afterward. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Keith just smiled, letting any feeling of unease melt away.

Less than a week later, they were on their way. After saying goodbye to all their friends (including Lance, who almost made them all late via his tearful goodbyes with Hunk and Pidge), Shiro, Keith, the servants they brought with them, and all their belongings were loaded up into the carriages.

When they started moving, Keith took one last look at the ocean, letting the breeze hit his face. Then he pulled the curtain over the window, and focused his attention on Shiro. "Here we go."

Shiro smiled tightly. "Yeah."

* * *

"Keith? Keith? Wake up, love, we're almost there."

Keith startled awake at Shiro's voice, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. He didn't remember falling asleep, but it probably couldn't be helped. The trip was long, the carriage was comfortable, and the sun was warm.

But the atmosphere had changed, Keith could tell. It already felt noisier and more lively than even the most populated areas in the seaside part of the kingdom. Keith pulled the curtain back from the window, eyes widening as he took in the huge urban landscape spiraling before him.

"Whoa," he whispered.

Shiro had that same smile on his face from before. "Welcome to the heart of Arus."

"It's huge," said Keith. "I never realized just how big your kingdom is."

"Yeah, can't wait to be managing it all," Shiro sighed. "But on the bright side, there's a lot more to explore."

"Yeah, I bet there's a whole lot of-" he suddenly burst into a fit of coughs, and immediately pulled the curtain closed again.

Shiro turned to him. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah," said Keith, clearing his throat of whatever he's inhaled. "The air here is...different. Hotter."

"Polluted," Shiro repeated. "Smells just as bad as I remember. But as long as you stay away from the factories, you should be fine."

The Central Palace was enormous. It looked around five times bigger than the Seaside one, which was already pretty large. The carriages pulled to a stop just past the gates, and everyone began to unload and stretch their legs.

Pidge and Hunk were gaping up in awe at the gargantuan building, but Shiro just looked bored.

"Home sweet home," he muttered.

As soon as they stepped inside, Shiro and Keith were swarmed by servants ready to receive them. Shiro was almost swept away from Keith, but that stopped pretty quickly when someone, probably an advisor, appeared to greet Shiro herself.

"Your Highness," the woman began, in the same drawling voice that the messenger had, "It's a pleasure to see you again. My deepest condolences about your father."

"You were closer to him than I was, Dayak." Shiro replied. "I should be the one comforting you."

"Ah, I appreciate it, but he was your father."

"...yeah."

Dayak turned to Keith, raising an eyebrow in restrained curiosity. "And who might this young man be, standing so close to you?"

"This is Keith," Shiro replied, gesturing to him. "He's my boyfriend."

Keith expected some sort of greeting, but instead the woman looked him up and down with the faintest expression of disapproval.

"I see," Dayak said shortly. Then she turned back to Shiro as if Keith wasn't there. "Anyway, I imagine you're exhausted from your travels, let me show you to your quarters."

"Thank you," Shiro sighed. Dayak and the servants guided them through the palace, and Shiro made a point of holding Keith's hand as they went.

"I hate to inconvenience you, Your Highness," Dayak continued as she walked. "But the coronation ceremony is in two days, and there's much to be done. You may rest for a few hours, then I will send someone to come get you."

"Of course," Shiro replied. He'd been keeping his replies awfully short since they'd gotten here.

They reached the bedroom, and Dayak held the door open for both of them. "Rest well. I will be back for you soon."

Shiro nodded curtly and stepped inside. Keith followed, making eye contact with Dayak and getting that slightly disapproving glance once more.

Dayak grumbled to herself as she closed the door and walked away. "Where did that boy come from...?"

Inside the bedroom, Shiro quickly plopped himself down on a cushioned chair nearby with a long sigh. "Ah, man. Should've taken a nap like you."

Keith smiled briefly, but looked back at the door with a frown. "I don't think that lady likes me."

"She's going to respect you whether she likes it or not."

"...I guess," Keith grumbled. He then turned his attention to exploring the room, which was, as expected, gigantic. Keith walked to the other side and opened up the huge window, hesitating when he once again saw nothing but land and buildings. "The view is different out here," he said softly.

He turned around to where Shiro was sitting, hand resting on his cheek and looking like he was going to fall asleep. Keith smiled fondly and walked over, gently shaking him awake.

"You should probably use the bed if you're going to nap."

Shiro blinked wearily, and nodded. He picked himself off the chair and headed toward the huge satin bed, gently tugging Keith along. Keith happily followed.

Keith sat down on the bed, legs stretched out. Shiro crawled in to lay beside him, head resting on Keith's chest as he sighed again.

Keith softly ran his fingers through Shiro's hair. "You're tense," he told him. "Rest, Shiro. You deserve it."

Shiro nodded sleepily again, and Keith could feel his body relax as he drifted away against him.

* * *

Coronation day came too fast, too soon. Keith was with Shiro as he finished getting ready, helping him smooth out the folds on his ceremonial royal clothes, and also trying to get rid of that tension.

"You still nervous?" Keith asked.

"Terrified."

Keith reached up to touch his face, looking him dead in the eye and leaning in close. "I told you, Shiro. You're going to be amazing." He gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll be waiting for you in there. I love you."

Shiro just nodded.

Keith headed into the church and sat down near the front, earning curious stares from the other guests. He paid them no mind.

When Shiro entered, his demeanor had shifted from when Keith had seen him just minutes ago. He was powerful in his robes, emanating the energy of someone ready to take charge. Even when kneeling to receive the crown, he was intimidating. Keith had never seen him like this.

The only crack in his facade came at the small glance he gave Keith during the prayer. But he probably fooled everyone else.

"And now," the voice seemed to book through the room now. "By the power vested in me, I present your new ruler: King Takashi Shirogane of Arus."


	6. Tailfins--The Big Change (part 2)

Keith awoke in the morning alone.

He vaguely recalled a dreamlike memory, one of being awoken by an opening door and Shiro quietly telling him to go back to sleep.

He was used to waking up in Shiro's arms. Now he was hugging a pillow.

It wasn't quite the same.

Keith opened the window for some air—even with some distance between them and the factories, it still smelled—and got dressed on his own. He remembered his first day here when the stifling servants had tried to dress him, bathe him and essentially treat him like he couldn't take care of himself. He may have grown up as a prince, but he'd never allowed anyone to treat him like that. He hoped the servants didn't hold a grudge after his outburst, but he preferred to be independent.

Keith coughed lightly at the smell coming from outside, then decided to get out of the room. The palace was huge, and even after being here for a while, he still had a lot of exploring to do to keep him myself occupied. Not to mention the entire rest of the kingdom. Shiro being busy was nothing new, he'd fill his time the best he could.

Keith headed carefully down one of the many giant staircases and went down a hallway he didn't remember exploring yet. He wasn't too worried about getting lost.

This part of the palace seemed less ornate and gaudy, he noticed, and as he continued walking around he heard voices speaking, joyfully and informally. He must have stumbled across the servants' quarters. Maybe he'd be able to find some of the transfers from Seaside to keep him company.

He peeked into some of the rooms, earning a few surprised glances from the people inside but otherwise not disturbing them. They didn't recognize him, but they definitely noticed how nicely he was dressed. Keith felt a little out of place. The servants at Seaside never made him feel like this. Where were they?

He realized that he'd never get anywhere wandering around like this, so he approached one of the female servants standing by herself.

"Excuse me, miss, do you know where I can find Hunk and Pidge?"

She turned to stare in bewilderment, and for a moment Keith wondered if he had something on his face. Then she bowed her head and started talking shakily.

"Ah, Hunk and Pidge, they are...the new transfers? I believe I saw them head down to the recreation room."

"Thank you."

Another bewildered stare. "Y...you're welcome."

It seemed like she wasn't used to people of authority treating her politely.

It didn't take Keith too long to find the area where the woman had indicated. Thankfully, Hunk and Pidge were indeed in there, sitting on tables, tinkering with random objects, goofing off as usual. Hunk was also talking to a young lady that Keith didn't recognize.

Keith smiled. He knocked softly on the inside of the door, causing all three of them to look up.

Pidge and Hunk quickly jumped off the couch and bowed briefly.

"Hey, Prince Keith!" said Pidge.

"It's so good to see you, man!" Hunk added. "We thought you'd vanished entirely after the coronation."

Keith chuckled. "It's been pretty hectic since we got here. I've either been helping out Shiro or wandering a different part of the palace."

"Pssh, and you only just now thought to come see us," Pidge replied. "I thought we were your friends."

Hunk elbowed her, but otherwise didn't protest. "So how come you're not hanging out with Prince Shi-I mean _King_ Shiro now? Man, that's still weird to say."

Keith frowned. "I actually haven't seen him all morning. You guys wouldn't happen to know where he went, would you?"

The young woman next to them finally cleared her throat. "Well, your Highness," she spoke shyly. "He's probably meeting with his advisors over in the conference room. There was a big negotiation with the kingdom of Olkarion in the works, and they need to catch him up on the details before the ambassador arrives."

Keith blinked. "Oh."

Hunk grinned widely and gestured to the woman. "Oh yeah, you two haven't met yet. Prince Keith, this is Shay. She's one of the servants here. She's been helping us get around since we got here."

Shay bowed politely. "Very nice to meet you, Your Highness."

"Likewise," said Keith. "Do you know how long these meetings typically last?"

Shay frowned. "Well, it really depends-the previous king could stay in those meetings all day."

Keith winced. "I see."

"You can hang with out with us, if you want," Pidge offered. "Shay was just about to show us some of the palace gardens."

Keith shrugged and nodded.

They started down the hallways of the palace. Hunk and Shay walked in front, talking animatedly to each other, and Pidge walked next to Keith, quietly tinkering. Once again, Keith felt out of place and he got stares from the other workers.

The gardens outside were beautiful, as expected, not much different from the ones he used to take walks in before. The other three were already frolicking away, but Keith was content to just kneel down and observe the flowers.

"The air is so dry here," he commented.

"Yeah, it's nothing like Seaside," said Pidge. "We'll get used to it soon, I hope."

Keith nodded slowly. He was never bad at adapting, but he still didn't feel completely comfortable here yet. Maybe he was just lonely without Shiro in an unfamiliar place.

He'd see Shiro soon enough. For now, he's just have to kill time and enjoy this as much as he could.

* * *

Keith didn't see Shiro again until that night, and the poor man was exhausted. He was barely able to tell Keith bits and pieces about what had happened before falling asleep, probably because he couldn't help himself.

Keith wasn't going to wake him. He simply leaned over to kiss Shiro's cheek, and resolved to wait until all this "catching up" stuff was over.

* * *

Pidge, Hunk and Shay were with Keith for a few days after that, every time going to explore a new part of the palace, and sometimes areas around it. They were great company, and while Keith enjoyed exploring with them, he was getting a bit impatient.

He'd been seeing a lot less of Shiro lately. Any of his breaks between political duties didn't last long, and at night he was always too tired to spend much time with Keith before falling asleep.

Keith really didn't blame him. Shiro had an entire country to run, a very big country, evidently. It was selfish, he knew, but he missed his boyfriend. Exploring the world of humans became a lot less fun if he didn't have Shiro to share it with. The fact that he was in such a new environment made everything worse. Without a view of the ocean, the kingdom seemed to stretch on forever-just like the amount of time Shiro spent away from him.

Of course, he would never actually tell Shiro any of this. He already had enough on his plate, and Keith didn't want to be another burden. But it still felt like he should get to see him for a short while when he wanted to. The palace staff had kept Shiro occupied for days on end, surely a few hours with his boyfriend wasn't too much to ask for.

So, that afternoon, Keith excused himself from exploring with his friends and headed straight to the conference room. The doors were closed when he got there, a couple of armored guards standing out front.

"Is the king in there?" Keith asked one of them.

"Yes, sir, he's with his advisors right now."

"Go inside and tell him to come see me."

The guard paused. "S-sire, they have been asked not to be disturbed. This is incredibly important-"

"He'll come out to see me," Keith snapped, annoyed. "Go get him."

The guard was silent for a moment, then he turned and opened the door.

A stern voice suddenly called out from behind him. "Is there an emergency?"

Keith jumped, then turned around to see Dayak, having apparently materialized behind him and still wearing that vaguely disapproving frown.

"What?" asked Keith.

"You're requesting to see the king," Dayak replied. "Rather urgently. Is there an emergency?"

Keith frowned. "No. No emergency. I just don't believe he should be cooped up in there for the whole day."

Dayak said nothing for a moment, and appeared to be almost studying him. "I see," she replied simply. "Well, while we're waiting, I've actually been meaning to talk to you, your Highness."

Keith suddenly felt uneasy. "About what?"

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you and the king meet? I certainly didn't expect him to find...a _lover_ way out at Seaside."

Keith froze, blinking at this question. The way she asked it was already disconcerting enough, but now he had to answer. Allura definitely didn't want more humans knowing about the existence of merfolk. And Keith wasn't the best liar.

"Uh...the beach," Keith finally said. "We met at the beach."

Partial truths. He'd stick to partial truths.

"The beach?" Dayak repeated skeptically.

"That's right. I was visiting the beach at Seaside and that's where I met him."

"A little strange that a royal prince would get involved with a random commoner visiting the beach."

Keith bristled. "I'm not a commoner. I'm a prince."

Dayak looked surprised. "Really? I didn't realize. Of which kingdom?"

"The kingdom of...Puig," Keith replied, recalling one of the neighboring kingdoms he'd read about. "My older sister took the throne, so I was free to travel and...meet someone."

Dayak continued staring with narrowed eyes. Keith worried that she wasn't buying it, but then she shrugged. "Well, I guess that explains your behavior," she muttered. "However, as a prince, surely you understand that the king has duties, right?"

Keith gulped. "Yes, but-"

"And surely you understand that when one is responsible for an entire kingdom full of people, they have no room to be distracted by personal desires?"

Keith didn't reply, not sure whether to be angry or hurt.

"I'm sure you both want to see each other," Dayak drawled. "But with all due respect, it is incredibly irresponsible to ask him to step away from his duties to come see you. He's not longer a prince on the fringes of the country anymore. The kingdom comes first. I'm afraid he won't have time to give you the romantic attention you want anymore."

It was selfish. He knew.

The door next to them opened suddenly, and out popped Shiro. Keith was actually a bit surprised to see him come out.

"Keith! You wanted to see me, love? What's going on?"

Keith blinked. He noticed Dayak slinking away, then turned back to Shiro. There were thick bags under Shiro's eyes and he generally looked tired already. That didn't make Keith feel any better about demanding his attention.

"Uh...yeah, I did call you."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong, I just wanted to see you. You've been in meetings all day."

Shiro blinked, and then released a long, heavy sigh. "Yeah," he conceded. "These negotiations are so...long, and boring, and complicated." He gulped. "I'm so sorry darling, but they're incredibly important. I'm not really able to leave right now."

Keith gulped down his sadness, and then forced a smile. "I-it's alright, I understand. I won't come between you and your duties. I'll be able to see you tonight, right?"

"...right."

Keith brought their foreheads together and nuzzled Shiro's nose as if nothing was wrong. "Then I'll wait until then. Sorry to bother you. Go back and finish your meeting."

Shiro didn't seem satisfied. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Shiro. I'll see you tonight." And with that, he turned and headed literally anywhere else.

He ended up back in the bedroom, coughing at the dry air that came through the window. He slammed it closed, then flopped himself on the bed.

He hated this place.

* * *

Keith wasn't sure how long he spent moping, but when Shiro opened the door to their room, Keith knew it was too early.

"Are you done already?" Keith asked, surprised.

Shiro shook his head. "No, but we were close enough. I ended it early."

"Why? I thought they would force you to stay forever like they've been doing since we got here."

Shiro gave a bitter scoff. "I'm the king. What are they going to do? _Order_ me to stay?"

Keith wanted to laugh, but he just wasn't feeling it.

Shiro was quiet, then he sat down next to Keith. "What's wrong, Keith?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"I know you better than that, love," Shiro retorted, still obviously tired. "Please, just let me help."

Keith just heaved a long, heavy sigh. "I don't really know how to put it into words. Everything's been so different."

"Do you miss home?"

"Yes," Keith whispered. "But more importantly, I miss _you._ I miss when you would be able to take breaks and we could be together, I miss going going to the beach with you, I miss _talking_ to you. I barely even get to see you anymore. I know it hasn't been that long, but God, it's just so _jarring_ and I don't have you _or_ the ocean to calm me down. And I don't want to bother you, you have so much to worry about, but it just feels like...like no matter what happens, there's always something keeping us from being together. I don't know what to do."

The sadness in Shiro's eyes grew with every word Keith said. Keith buried his head in his knees, guilty.

"I'm sorry," Keith whispered. "I know I'm being selfish."

"You're not being selfish," Shiro replied quickly, softly. He gently took Keith's hand in his own, stroking it softly with his thumb. "At least, not any more selfish than me. All I can think about when I'm in there is how much I want to be with you."

Keith looked back up at him. "Then why don't you just...stop the meetings for a while?"

"There's too much to discuss," Shiro lamented. "I can't just ignore it." He paused, face twisting into a frown. "My father left a lot of messes behind for me to clean up. I don't think the people here have realized yet that I'm not him."

Neither of them said anything for a moment.

"...but you know what?" Shiro finally spoke, squeezing Keith's hand. "You're important too. I'm sorry, Keith. The last thing I wanted was to make you unhappy."

Keith gulped. "It's not your fault..."

"Maybe not, but I can still change it. After this whole thing with Olkarion is figured out, I'm going to stop all these stupid all-day meetings. They're not good for anybody."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "You'd change the way an entire kingdom operates just so you can spend time with me?"

Shiro grinned and touched their foreheads together. "Of course," he told him. "You're the most important person in the world to me. The rest of the world can burn for all I care."

At last, a smile appeared on Keith's face. "Don't say that."

"I mean it."

" _Don't_. You're better than that." Keith gave him a playful smack on the shoulder, which just made Shiro grin even wider. "...but thanks, Shiro. It means a lot that you'd do that for me."

Shiro's hand moved up to cup Keith's face. "Anytime, my darling. I love you. So much."

Keith flushed as Shiro pulled him gently into a kiss. He sighed into it, having been deprived of it for so long. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, deepening the kiss and hoping Shiro could tell just _how_ much he'd missed him.

A few seconds later, Shiro pulled away ever so slightly. "Also, I've been thinking," he murmured. "We could still go back to Seaside every now and then."

Keith's eyes widened.

"My dad used to go there sometimes," Shiro continued. "I bet we could go on vacation every once in a while and go back to the beach."

Keith beamed. "That sounds like a great idea."

Shiro smiled and hugged him closer. "I don't know how soon, but the second we can take a vacation, we will-I know how much you don't like the inland environment."

"I can adapt," Keith shrugged. "As long as you're around, it doesn't matter where we are."

Shiro smiled wider, going in for another kiss. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."


	7. Behind the Scenes (Actor AU)

Behind the Scenes (Actor AU)

Shiro had starred in a long list of successful movies that he could brag about. From playing the badass hero of an action flick to the hunky love interest in romcoms, he was incredibly versatile and has dabbled in more or less every genre.

Keith, on the other hand, was a lot more niche with his acting. He was almost always playing a villain, but what he did, he did well. He could be sympathetic or intimidating, or both, and his characters were often the cause of many internet arguments.

In real life, though, Keith was the opposite of a villain. Shiro knew that well, because he was married to him.

The couple was pretty good at ignoring all the celebrity gossip about them and keeping to themselves. But even they couldn't escape from the hype of the news that the two of them, finally, would be starring in the same movie.

Shiro and Keith were both used to being on set, they've been doing it for ages, but going to work together gave them both a buzz of excitement that made them feel like they were doing their first movie all over again.

"You're going to be around me all day and night for the next three years," Keith had remarked at one point. "You sure you won't get sick of me?"

The answer was obvious. "Never."

* * *

At this point, they'd been filming for a few months, and everything was going smoothly. Shiro and Keith arrived on set one morning and briefly ran into Pidge, their costar, already in full costume.

"There they are," Pidge smirked at them. "Hollywood's longest lasting marriage."

"Don't act so surprised," said Keith. "You know gay people invented true love."

Pidge just laughed as she watched them both get carted off to makeup.

Keith came out decked head to toe in tacky supervillain gear, and took a moment to look over his husband's costume before approaching.

"You look sexy," he commented.

Shiro turned to him with a smirk. "You look nerdy."

"Wow. You can't at least compliment me back?"

"That _was_ a compliment." Shiro strode forward to meet him halfway.

Keith reached out to touch Shiro's bare arm and hummed. "How come your costume lets you show off your biceps?"

Shiro grinned. "Maybe you could ask them to alter yours."

"Nah, I've got nothing to show off."

"I disagree."

Someone cleared their throat, interrupting their intimate moment. Coran, the director of the film, strode over to the couple and pushed them apart ever so slightly.

"Listen, I know you two are crazy about each other," he said. "But you're going to have to put that aside for now. We're about to film the first confrontation between you two, and you're supposed to be enemies. Fight about something petty."

Shiro and Keith blinked. Right. They still had to do their job, after all.

Shiro turned to Keith and tried to be annoyed with him. "It's your turn to do the laundry tonight."

Keith frowned. "The hell? No, I did it last week! It's your turn!"

"Did you sleep through laundry day last week? Because it was definitely me."

"No it wasn't."

"Excellent," Coran piped up. "Keep that up." He turned and walked away with a flourish, leaving Shiro and Keith to pout.

"I hope he doesn't make us do that the whole time," Shiro groaned.

"Maybe we can perform it differently," said Keith. "I have an idea."

"What?"

"Places!" Coran shouted from the end of the room.

Keith patted Shiro's shoulder. "I'll show you in a sec."

They took their places on the set, which for now was just a giant green screen along with a few prompts. It would no doubt look spectacular in the movie, but for now, Shiro would have to use his imagination.

"And, action!"

Shiro tiptoed forward, putting himself in the headspace of a lone rebel, going into the belly of the beast to save his best friend. This was always his favorite part, pretending to be in someone else's shoes for a little while. Even though it was fake, his heart was still pounding with excitement.

"Are you lost?"

He whirled around, and there was Keith, seated arrogantly atop a throne just as tacky as his costume, but damn, was he owning it.

"You don't look like you're supposed to be here," Keith sneered. "I figured you must be in the wrong place."

Shiro growled, pulling out his sci-fi weapon and pointing it at him menacingly. "I'm here for Katie. Where is she?! What have you done with her?!"

Keith just tilted his head, unfazed. "Who? I'm sorry, you'll have to be more specific, I keep a lot of prisoners."

"Katie! The little one with the mark on her arm! You took her just yesterday, and I'm getting her back."

Keith's eyes widened. "Oh. Her. The scientist's daughter." He scoffed. "Yeah, no, she's still paying off her debt for what she stole from me. She's not leaving here anytime soon. I suggest you be on your way."

Shiro stood his ground. "I'm not going anywhere without her."

Keith continued to stare for a moment, then finally, a hint of emotion on his face came in the form of a scowl. "Ugh, I hate you noble hero types."

He stood up menacingly ( _God_ , he was hot), pulled out his own sci-fi weapon, and descended from his evil overlord throne.

"I'm giving you one last chance," he growled. Shiro didn't move.

Keith charged forward, meeting Shiro halfway when their plastic weapons crashed together. This wasn't unlike the regular sparring they often did in real life, but a lot more toned down. Which wasn't really a problem, since their regular sparring was way too passionate for this PG-rated film they were going for—ah, shit, he needed to focus.

As was scripted, Keith knocked the weapon out of Shiro's hands, and Shiro fell on the floor. Keith stood over him, pointing the plastic stick at his neck and smiling wickedly ( _hot, hot, hot, hot—_ )

"Should've left when you had the chance," Keith taunted. He shifted, reaching down toward Shiro's face, but instead of grabbing him by the shirt collar as expected, Keith gently caressed Shiro's cheek with his hand.

His voice dropped low and husky for the next line. "You are a pretty strong fighter, though. Maybe I should keep you as a prisoner instead of her."

 _...oh God._

"CUT!"

Coran's voice snapped them them back to reality. The man pinched the bridge of his nose, then asked, "Keith, what are you doing?"

Keith looked innocent now. "I'm...saying my line?"

"But why are you saying it like _that?_ It sounds like you're going to lock him up in a sex dungeon and use him to test out all your weird kinks!"

This made half the film crew giggle like a bunch of teenagers. Lance whooped from the back of the room, and Allura was doubled over trying to contain her laughter.

Shiro, of course, had broken character long ago and was currently red in the face while trying to contain his own laughter.

"Evil Overlord, can you please stop flirting with your moral enemy, thanks?"

"But flirting is good!" Keith protested. "People love it when the villain flirts with the hero. It adds tension."

"Yeah, the fans will think is artistic and cool," Shiro added, half-joking.

Coran shook his head. "Sorry, but that's not the type of _tension_ we're going for. Now get up and do it again."

Keith pouted and helped Shiro up to his feet. "Sorry babe, I tried."

"Hey, I liked it," Shiro replied. He smiled and leaned in close to his husband's ear. "Keep it in mind for later, okay?"

Keith grinned right back.

"Oh my God," Pidge murmured from somewhere off set.

* * *

The next day came with a new set of scenes. They started with a touching scene between Allura and Pidge's characters. The two women had lovely chemistry to the point that Lance was even pouting with jealousy—though, who he was jealous of was unclear.

Once Coran was satisfied with that, he turned back to Shiro and Keith. "Now then. You two ready to try another confrontation?"

"Absolutely," Shiro replied with a serious nod. "Keith and I are ready to go. We were fighting all night."

Keith scoffed. "Yeah. Fighting."

Coran looked skeptical, but he directed them onto the set anyway. "Great! Let's get started."

Once again back in their sci-fi universe, Keith and Shiro glared at each other across an arena.

"You think you're hot stuff, don't you," Keith growled lowly. "I've destroyed hundreds just like you, you think you'll be the one to take me down? Don't make me—."

"CUT! Keith, that's too sultry."

"That not sultry!"

"Yes it is, do it again."

Take 2.

"You think you'll be the one to take me down? Don't make me laugh! We'll see how much of a hero you are when I pierce my sword into your—into your—fuck."

Shiro had already broken character and winked.

"CUT! The line is ' _through_.' Its ' _through_ your gut,' you're not putting your sword _into_ anything, for Christ's sake."

"You two are disgusting," said Pidge.

The third take managed to get all the way into the actual fighting, until Keith started acting on instinct and ended up sitting right on top of Shiro's face.

Hunk squeaked.

Coran rubbed his temples. "Oh, this was a mistake."

"Guys," said Hunk, over Lance's screeching. "This is supposed to be a _family_ movie."

"Keith, why are you shoving your groin in his face?" Coran asked, though he already knew the answer.

Keith blinked innocently. "Uh...tension?"

Shiro couldn't speak from his spot under Keith's ass, but he gave them all a thumbs-up to let them know that he was completely okay with this situation.

Coran gave up. "Alright. Alright. Fine. Tension. We'll do it your way. I don't care anymore."

Shiro and Keith stood up and high-fived each other triumphantly.

Pidge squeaked with laughter. "I can't _wait_ to see all the fanfiction that comes out of _this_."

* * *

Years later, the Blu-ray bonus features included a picture of Shiro and Keith kissing in full costume behind the scenes. The shippers went nuts.


	8. Stuck Holding Hands (part 1)

Stuck Holding Hands

 **So I guess this takes place somewhere during season 2? It's a bit canon divergent in that sense but eh, this is a fanfic, who needs canon anyway.**

* * *

It was supposed to just be a quick errand.

Coran asked them to retrieve...something, they couldn't remember what—from a place called Temiton Cove. Shiro had stepped on something glowing and gotten stuck. Keith had pushed him out of the way of a sudden blast of light. That's all they could remember. After that, they found themselves waking up on the hard ground of the cave, to the voices of their teammates yelling in their ears.

Shiro groaned and rubbed his head. The annoying ringing in his ears subsided, and he could hear Allura yelling at them.

" _Shiro! Keith! Do you copy?"_

Shiro looked over at Keith lying next to him, also starting to stir awake.

"We're here, Allura," Shiro replied weakly.

Allura sighed audibly with relief. " _Oh, thank goodness. What happened? You didn't respond for over a varga, we got worried."_

"Sorry," said Shiro, watching as Keith rubbed his head with one hand and gripped Shiro's hand with the other. "Something knocked us out for some reason, but we're okay. We'll be back at the castle in a minute."

With that, Shiro focused his attention on Keith. "You okay, buddy?"

Keith groaned, but nodded. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. We were out for an hour for some reason. Everyone's waiting for us at the castle, let's get out of here."

Keith nodded and let Shiro pull him up with their already-joined hands. Once he was on his feet, Keith tried to let go of Shiro's hand, only to find that Shiro was holding on tight.

Keith flushed a little and cleared his throat. "Uh, Shiro, you can let go now."

Shiro frowned. "I am letting go. You're the one who's holding on."

"What? No I'm not." He tried to pull away again. So did Shiro. But to their dismay and horror, they found that they couldn't move their fingers. Even when Keith tried to physically pry their hands apart, they wouldn't budge.

"Are we—are we _stuck_?"

Shiro shook his head in disbelief. "No way, h-how could we be stuck? Did you grab some kind of adhesive?"

"No! I went out at the same time as you!" He grunted and tried in vain to shake their hands loose. "It must have something to do with that glowy thing we saw."

Shiro blew out a breath and kept a cool head, as usual. "Okay, okay. Let's just get back to the castle and we'll figure it out."

"How are we supposed to fly our lions with our hands stuck together?"

"We'll just have to leave one here and get it later. Come on."

* * *

A few minutes later, they walked hand in hand onto the bridge, where Allura was waiting with Lance.

Lance was on them the second they appeared. "There you are! What the heck happened? We were all running out of the cave and you two just vanished!"

Keith grit his teeth at the sound of Lance's voice. "We just got held back for a little while, that's all."

"Held back by wha—oh. _Ooooh_." Lance's expression slowly shifted into a sly grin as he sing-songed. "So that's what you guys were busy doing this whole time."

Shiro frowned. "What?"

"You know, if you guys just wanted to be alone, you could have told us," Lance continued. "We would have given you space."

Keith's face immediately started burning when he realized that Lance was just seeing them _holding hands_ with no explanation. Allura had clearly seen it too, considering how wide her eyes were.

Shiro and Keith both started stammering over each other. "Wh—no, we're not—there was a light—we were unconscious—." They stopped abruptly, looking at each other, then away.

Lance and Allura just looked confused.

Shiro covered his face with his free hand and tried to hide his mortification. "Look—we'll explain all this later. Right now we just need to go get Keith's lion, it's still on the planet's surface."

"What?" Allura asked. "Why would you leave it down there?"

"We had to fly back in one lion, because as you can see—." Shiro held up their joined hands to demonstrate. "—we are stuck."

Allura and Lance stared, taking a second to understand what was going on.

"Wait," said Lance. "Your...hands are stuck together?"

"Yes, Lance," sighed Keith.

"So—you're _not_ romantically involved?" asked Allura.

"No," they both replied.

Allura looked disappointed, but didn't press further. "Well, alright. We'll go retrieve the lion, then we can see if we can figure something out."

As soon as she was done speaking, a door opened and the rest of the team walked in.

"Whoa, you guys are back!" Hunk cried as soon as he saw Keith and Shiro. "We were looking for y—wait, are you holding _hands_?"

Pidge looked up from what she was holding and smirked. "About time."

Keith and Shiro groaned.

* * *

Once they managed to get all the lions back in the castle, the team gathered around Keith and Shiro while they tiredly explained what happened for the third time.

"So, you just woke up holding hands, and now you can't let go?" Pidge asked.

"That's right," said Shiro.

Coran was studying their conjoined hands meticulously. "Well, it doesn't look like anything's changed about your hands, physically," he observed. "They're just clasped together real tight. Let me see if I can—," he tried to pull their hands apart, grunting and straining comedically with effort. But it was no use.

"Oh, you're really stuck together," Coran pointed out helpfully. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Oh, I think I saw a movie like this once!" Hunk said suddenly. "It's like, you gotta learn to work together and get along so you'd get unstuck."

"You dummy, they work together and get along better than any of us!" Lance countered.

"Well, it's the only idea I've got, okay?"

Pidge had taken Coran's place in poking and prodding at their hands. "We could always just...chop your hands off."

"Pidge!" Keith snapped. Shiro had already lost one hand, he wouldn't be losing another on Keith's watch.

Pidge shrugged. "What? It was just a suggestion."

"Okay," Allura started. "I think we're all just tired from the mission. We should get some rest before we figure out what to do. Shiro, Keith, is that okay with you?"

They both nodded. "Maybe it'll just...wear off by morning," Shiro murmured.

Everyone gave a tired sigh and started to file out of the room. Shiro and Keith were last. They started to sleepily walk to their own rooms when they suddenly remembered...they couldn't.

The implications of what would have to happen flooded into Keith's mind. He hoped Shiro couldn't hear how fast his heart was pounding.

Shiro licked his lips. "Alright. So. Uhh, we need to change out of this armor, and go to sleep so we can be well rested for tomorrow."

Keith turned redder. "Can't we just...sleep in our armor?"

"Come on, Keith, we're adults. It's no different than changing in the Garrison locker rooms, okay?"

Sure, except the only reason Keith could think of for people to stand so close to each other when taking their clothes off is if they were about to—

"Let's just get this done quickly so we can get it overwith," Shiro said quickly. He pulled Keith along into his room as the younger one tried to calm himself down.

They managed to get the chestplates off with some effort, but the undersuits were a different story.

"Hold still," Shiro grumbled.

"I can't, I need both my hands."

"So do I-ok, fine. You go first. I'll wait."

Keith had to push away the image of Shiro watching him undress (he wasn't, Shiro was looking the other way like a decent human being), and tried to work as quickly as possible.

He got it off his shoulders and down his chest quickly enough. Then Shiro's hand brushed against his abs. Shiro flinched and instinctively pulled his arm a way, and of course Keith went right along with him.

Next thing they knew they were chest to chest, Keith half-naked. Shiro's face was was about the same shade as a tomato.

"You know what?" Shiro croaked. "We could just sleep in our undersuits."

Keith swallowed. "Y-yeah."

* * *

They'd been too tired and frazzled by the changing fiasco to even dwell on the thought of sharing a bed. In the morning they awoke after a restless sleep. Keith immediately looked at their hands.

"...still stuck."

Shiro replied with a deep sigh.

Thankfully the rest of their morning tasks were easy and completely non-awkward to get through. They headed to the kitchen and made breakfast, and ate together at the table in generally comfortable silence.

That is, until Pidge, sitting across the table from them with a fascinated look on her face, decided to open her mouth. "How come you guys are in your armor already?"

Keith nervously swallowed his food and let Shiro answer.

"We, uh, couldn't change last night," Shiro said, somehow keeping his voice even despite the memory. He held up their hands to show her why. "We're just going to have to live like that until we get unstuck."

Lance nearly choked on his food. "Wait, so-you're not going to get out of those outfits at all? Not even to shower?"

Keith hadn't even thought about _showering._

"No way, you guys could be stuck like that for _months,_ for all we know!" Lance continued. "You'll start cultivating- _space bacteria_ on your bodies if you keep the same clothes for that long! Or heck, what if you guys just need to use the bathroom? What will you do then?"

"Allura said we'd figure out a solution _today_ ," Keith snapped. "So shut up, Lance."

"I-I said we'd try," Allura clarified, but Keith had already made up just mind.

* * *

Except, they didn't find a solution that day. Or the next. Or the next.

Shiro and Keith had managed to suck it up and just deal with changing and taking care of their needs with one hand while the other person looked away. It was awkward, but they soon got used to it-and Keith could very much get used to the whole sharing-a-bed thing.

There was just one problem: they were still stuck together.

"Are you guys sure you didn't see anything at Temiton Cove when we went back to check?" Shiro asked for what felt like the billionth time.

"Shiro, you and Keith were right there with us," Pidge replied. "It just looked like a normal cave, nothing out of the ordinary."

"Maybe we could find some natives and ask them about it?" Hunk suggested. "I bet they'd know something about a mysterious cave that makes people get stuck together."

Coran laughed. "Good luck with that, Hunk. The natives have shut themselves off from the rest of the world for years, they never speak to outsiders. I do remember some of their language however. _Temiton_ means _emotion_ , and _Cove_ means...well, cove."

Pidge blinked. "Emotion Cove? Why would they call it that?"

Coran shrugged. "The people down there named it that way for a special reason," he said. "That's what I've heard, anyway."

"Well, _I_ didn't see any special reasons," Keith growled. "All I saw was a bunch of stupid normal rocks that don't answer anything about this-this stupid spell, or whatever the hell it is!"

"Take it easy, Keith," Shiro said softly. "There's got to be some way to fix this. I'm sure we'll find it eventually."

Keith just grumbled to himself, and everyone else sighed in defeat.

"I think we just need to blow off some steam," Shiro continued, mostly talking to Keith. "Keith, you wanna go fight some gladiator bots?"

Keith just shrugged. "Sure."

They excused themselves from their friends and walked down to the training room. Of course they only had one arm each and had to stay together, but they'd be able to manage.

The bot came down, charging fast. Keith had his bayard and Shiro had his arm (because thankfully his robot arm wasn't the one that was stuck), and they moved as one, taking down the bot easily.

They did this a few more times, moving together with ease, until both of them were panting and staring down at the remains of the defeated bots.

"We work pretty well together," Shiro said.

"Yeah, we do," Keith agreed. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and grunted. "That's why I don't get why this is happening. If the problem is teamwork, like Hunk said, then we shouldn't have a problem at all."

Shiro frowned. "Yeah."

"It's not that I don't like being around you," Keith continued. "But this-it's ridiculous."

"I know, Keith. But we've been working at this for so long, we've got to find an answer soon."

"What if we don't? What if we're stuck like this forever?"

Shiro hesitated for a second, but shook his head. "No, let's not think like that. We've been through worse. We'll figure it out."

Keith sighed. He loved Shiro, but he'd never understand that constant optimism of his. Tiredly, he leaned forward until his head was resting on Shiro's chestplate, and his friend responded with a laugh and a pat on the shoulder.

"Guess the exercise helped," Shiro said. "We should hit the showers."

"You mean our awkward showers where one of us stands right outside the door and stares at the ceiling the whole time?"

Shiro snorted. "Yes. What other choice to we have?"

Keith let himself turn pink since Shiro couldn't see him. They'd already done it a few times but it still got his traitorous heart racing. He'd never sneak a peek at Shiro without permission of course, and he'd rather punch himself in the face than humiliate himself by asking, but still...the idea was hard to just get out of his head.

"Alright. Let's go."


	9. Stuck Holding Hands (part 2)

It was yet another several days later that Lance suddenly bolted upright with a bright smile on his face. "Ooh! I got it! Epiphany!"

Everyone looked up. "What are you talking about, Lance?" asked Pidge.

Lance stood up proudly. "I've figured out Keith and Shiro's situation. Remember when Hunk talked about teamwork?"

"Yes," Keith said, annoyed. "And we already established that wasn't the problem."

"Yeah, exactly!" Lance continued. "And that got me thinking, the name of the cave where you got stuck—it's not called Teamwork Cove, it's called Emotion Cove!"

"Where are you going with this, Lance?" Allura asked.

"I'm saying that the problem isn't about working together, it's got more to do with feelings."

Keith hoped nobody saw him flinch.

Pidge started laughing. "Feelings? What? How does that even work?"

"Do they need emotional counseling or something?" Hunk added with a snort.

"Maybe they do," Lance replied, waving off their laughter. "Maybe one of them is mad about something, maybe they've got secret romantic feelings, I dunno—stop laughing, I'm the only one who's got anything close to an answer!"

"That—that's a decent theory, Lance, but it doesn't have any weight to it," Shiro said. "Keith and I—we don't have anything to confess."

"Y-yeah," Keith agreed. "We tell each other everything already. And Shiro can read me like an open book."

Lance stood up and examined both of them closely. "Tell each other everything? Do you really, though? Do you really?"

Pidge and Hunk suddenly stopped laughing.

"Actually, now that I think about it," Pidge said, adjusting her glasses. "Maybe Lance is onto something."

Lance grinned. "Thank you, Pidge."

Keith's face felt like it was burning off, and he immediately stood up to push Lance away. "He's not onto anything!" he snapped. "There's no _feelings_ to talk about!"

Keith stomped off, dragging Shiro with him, who was trying to calm him down.

Once they were out of the room, Lance sat back down and leaned in his seat. "Well, _he's_ definitely got some emotional stuff to deal with."

* * *

"Lance is probably wrong," Shiro assured him.

"Of course, Lance is always wrong," Keith grumbled.

"Then what made you so upset?"

"I-I don't know. He just annoys me."

Shiro chuckled fondly. "Yeah. I've noticed." He bumped Keith's shoulder with his own. "You wanna just get ready for bed?"

"Sure..."

Keith's mind continued racing until he was lying on his back next to Shiro. This had been their arrangement ever since they got stuck, and Keith thought he'd managed to quell the butterflies in his stomach after the first few times sharing a bed, but it seemed that that wasn't the case anymore.

Lance was wrong. Of course he was wrong. Why would this problem be solved by a love confession of all things? It was ridiculous.

But Keith would be lying if he said he didn't panic at the idea of having to tell Shiro how he really felt. That he'd realized he loved him as more than a brother-figure a while ago. There was no chance in hell Keith would ever actually tell Shiro about that. It would ruin the friendship they'd had for years. Not to mention, if Lance's theory was as off the mark as it sounded, Keith would end up stuck to the person who rejected him for who knows how long, and that would make everything worse.

No. It wasn't happening. Nothing good would ever come out of telling Shiro how he felt. He was fine where he was now. He wouldn't get anything more, and he'd accepted that already.

* * *

But the seed had been planted, and Keith couldn't forget.

Days later, they were on a patrol mission—being stuck together didn't mean that they could just abandon the war—Shiro and Keith both piloting the Black Lion with their free hands. The others were chattering over the comms.

"Allura, one of the prime ministers down here says he wants to speak with you," Hunk said from his spot on the ground. "Something about opening up supply routes."

"Tell him I'll be there in a few vargas," Allura replied. "Everyone else, is everything looking clear out there?"

"Coast is clear for me, Princess," said Lance. "Not a Galra in sight."

"I'm good too," replied Pidge.

"Shiro?"

Shiro suddenly seemed to snap out of a daze. "Oh, yeah. I'm not picking up anything."

Allura seemed satisfied and moved on.

Keith snapped out of his own thoughts and turned to Shiro, who was staring up at him with an illegible expression.

"You seem distracted," Keith said.

Shiro grinned. "Actually I was just thinking about how you seem distracted. You okay?"

Keith frowned and turned away. "I'm fine."

Shiro was quiet again, but thankfully he dropped it. After a minute he spoke again. "So how does piloting Black feel?"

Keith rolled his eyes. "This again, Shiro? It feels fine, but I prefer Red."

Shiro chuckled. "Fair enough. I will admit I prefer piloting with you than trying to make you replace me."

Keith smiled to himself.

"Though I do feel bad that you have to stand up the whole time."

Keith snorted. "You're not going to make me sit on your lap or something, are you?"

Shiro flushed and gave an embarrassed laugh. "N-no, I think we've already crossed enough personal boundaries. Uh, but you do look kind of uncomfortable. Here, switch places with me."

Shiro stood and made way for Keith to sit. Keith obliged—but not before he heard the high pitched giggles and snorts of their teammates over the comms.

"Jesus Christ," Pidge finally said, and this made Lance burst out laughing.

"I was okay until he said ' _switch with me,_ '" Hunk added.

Keith could feel himself turning red yet again and he didn't dare look up at Shiro. "Wh—why are you guys listening to us?!"

"You're the ones flirting over the main line!" Hunk shouted back.

"We're not flirting, he was offering me his seat!"

 _"Ooooh~"_ Lance cooed.

Keith would have yelled at them some more, but Shiro squeezed his hand and Allura called them all back to the castle. That was the end of that.

Flirting. What led them to _that_ conclusion? It's just like when they'd seen Shiro and Keith holding hands the first time and thought they were a couple. No, that they were "finally" a couple. How exactly had they found out about Keith's crush? He thought he'd kept that a closely guarded secret. Regardless, they'd have to cut that teasing out if they didn't want Keith punching their teeth out. God, they're embarrassing.

Once they were back at the castle, Shiro busied himself talking with Allura and Coran. Keith took the opportunity to pull as far away from Shiro as he could and call the other Paladins over.

"Ok, listen," Keith hissed. "I don't know how you found out, but you've got to stop teasing. It's making us uncomfortable."

The other three blinked. "Sorry dude," Hunk replied. "We thought it was like, common knowledge by now that you were pining. We just wanted to help."

"Thanks, I guess. But please stop. Shiro doesn't know about it, and I don't want him to."

Lance's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? He doesn't know? How could he not know? You two have been sharing beds and literally _showering_ together, I thought that—you know, _stuff_ would have happened by now."

Keith forced himself not to blush again. "We don't shower togeth—No, okay? Nothing has happened. Shiro doesn't think of me that way. He sees me like a little brother, and I don't want to ruin that. So stop it."

Now they just looked extra confused.

"O-okay, Keith, we'll stop," Pidge said. "But you should know that he actually likes you back."

"No, he doesn't. Just drop it already."

"But he does!" Pidge insisted. "He looks at you the same way you look at him. And he gets this _look_ in his eyes whenever he talks about your when you're not around."

"Yeah, he's been acting different around you lately," Hunk added. "Like he suddenly saw the light recently and realized how he feels."

"Even I've noticed it," said Lance. "And I never notice anything."

Keith didn't dare to let himself hope. He shook his head. "No. Just. Drop it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt Shiro draw closer and gave the others a look.

"Hey," Shiro said with a smile. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," Keith replied quickly. "Just...Lion strategies."

"Yeah, Lion strategies," said Hunk.

Shiro nodded. "Good. You should share your ideas with Allura later. We should go wash up for now, though."

The other three nodded and headed away quietly. Shiro gently tugged Keith along after him.

They were quiet on the way to their rooms. Shiro looked thoughtful. Then he spoke up. "Hey. So. Uh, Coran and Allura were discussing finding a new pilot for the Red Lion."

Keith whirled around to face him. "What? Why? I'm right here!"

"Yeah, but—you're stuck with me. And if we aren't able to break this by now, who knows if we will by the time we need Voltron again."

Keith was quiet for a moment, thinking this over. "Well...who would it be? Red is awfully picky."

"I don't know. We haven't really gotten that far yet."

Keith nodded. Shiro made it to the door of his room and opened it for them to enter. Once they were inside, Shiro started to take off his armor, but Keith hesitated.

"Shiro..."

"Yeah?"

"I-I'm sorry."

Shiro looked at him, confused. "For what?"

"For-this. I don't know, I feel like this is my fault somehow. I-I ran into before we got stuck, and-I mean, I was worried about you, I thought you might get hurt, but-I just-"

Shiro's expression had changed into a soft smile, and he gently put his free hand on Keith's shoulder to stop his rambling. "Hey, hey, Keith," he said soothingly. "You don't have to apologize. This isn't your fault." He shrugged. "Besides, I get to pilot Black with you by my side. I'd hardly call that a bad thing."

Keith felt warm inside at the words. A smile formed on his face as he stared up at his best friend. "Thanks, Shiro," he replied quietly. "And just so you know, if I have to be stuck to someone for possibly the rest of my life...there's no one I'd rather be with than you."

This seemed to surprise Shiro. The look in his eyes went from stunned, to understanding, to something so much deeper and warmer than Keith could recognize.

And then Shiro was kissing him.

For a second Keith had no idea what was happening. He'd barely managed to register the feeling of Shiro's lips on his own, before Shiro was already pulling away and apologizing profusely.

"Shit-Keith, I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-I-I don't know what came over me just now, I-"

Keith didn't even think. All he knew was that his inhibitions were suddenly gone, and he just had to feel that again. He surged forward and silenced Shiro with a kiss of his own, awkward and messy but still just as fiery and passionate as everything he did.

Shiro froze for a second but quickly relaxed. He readjusted the angle of his lips and kissed back sweetly. Keith was already in a state of bliss, sighing contentedly as Shiro pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. He would have marveled at the fact that Shiro actually reciprocated his feelings, but he was too busy melting at the sensation of Shiro's tongue sliding against his, Shiro's arms enveloping him and pulling him closer, Shiro, Shiro, _Shiro-_

All too soon, they had to pull apart for air. Keith's heart was still pounding when he opened his heavy eyelids, to see Shiro staring at him just as intensely with that pink flush on his cheeks.

"I...didn't think you'd actually feel the same," Keith whispered, breathless.

Shiro grinned. "Right back at you. I guess Lance really was onto something after all."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Don't bring up Lance right now."

"Sorry."

Keith smiled again and shook his head, removing his arms from where they were wrapped around Shiro's neck and-wait.

"Shiro, our hands!" Keith took a step back and gaped at his hands-now both free-and held them up for Shiro to see.

Shiro's eyes widened and he also let go of Keith, apparently not having noticed. "We're not stuck anymore!"

"Are you kidding me?" Keith shouted, stomping his foot in frustration. "Right when I admit that I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you, that's when it decides to finally break?"

Shiro just started laughing.

"It's not funny! It's annoying!" Keith threw himself at Shiro as if to tackle him, but just ended up in a hug. "Put it back!"

Shiro tried to stop laughing, but ended up with a bunch of joyful snorts and giggles as he tried to speak. "C-come on Keith, we need to tell the others that we don't need a new pilot."

Keith huffed and pulled back. "I don't want to go talk to the others right now."

Shiro's giggles finally died, but he still had the biggest smile on his face that could only be described as adoring when he tilted Keith's chin back up toward him. "Fine. Later." He leaned in close once more. "We'll talk to them later."


	10. Crush Course--Long Distance

Crush Course-Long Distance

 _Keith had been trying to make time go by as slowly as possible while Coran drove them to the airport, but time couldn't possibly go slowly when Shiro was around. There was nothing he could have done to delay the inevitable, and now here they were, standing in front of the gate at the airport, preparing to let Shiro board a plane and fly off to college._

 _Keith gulped back his sadness as the call for passengers sounded. Shiro turned to him, obviously wanting to say something, but ended up just staring sadly._

 _Keith took a breath and spoke first. "I...guess this is it."_

 _Shiro nodded. "Yeah."_

 _Keith forced a smile. "Hey, don't-don't worry about me. I'll be fine here. You-you're gonna do great. I'm happy for you."_

 _"I know, and I'm excited but...I'm going to miss you, Keith."_

 _Keith tried not to cry. He couldn't cry. "I...I'll miss you too, but..."_

 _Now it was Shiro's turn to put on a smile. "Hey, we'll video chat, okay? Every night, I promise."_

 _Keith nodded. "Y-yeah, of course. You'd better not miss a night, or I'll give you hell."_

 _Shiro chuckled. "I don't doubt it."_

 _"Last call for flight 1680," a voice over the loudspeaker said. "Flight 1680 is boarding now. Last call for 1680."_

 _Shiro bit his lip. Keith closed his eyes and kissed him goodbye._

 _"Good luck. Call me tonight when you get there."_

 _"I will. I love you, Keith."_

* * *

Despite Keith now being legally an adult and officially aged out of the system, Coran still let him stick around in his apartment until Keith could scrape together enough to live by himself. Keith was grateful for it. After work, he'd come back to the same apartment he'd lived in for over two years, and it felt like nothing had changed.

Truth was, a lot had changed. Pidge had travelled halfway across the country to go study computer science, and Lance had followed her when he's found out that the same school also had a great business and marketing program. Allura had gone to study political science at a nearby university, Hunk went into culinary arts in another, and Matt and Shay were at a community college close by. Everyone was reasonably close to the person they loved-all except for Keith, who took a year off to start working while Shiro went to study astronomy two time zones away.

But that was okay. They had a system. Shiro and Keith had promised to call each other every night, and about a week into the semester, they were keeping that promise religiously.

After dinner, Keith darted into his bedroom and flopped onto his bed, pulling out his tablet to call Shiro. He stared at his own smiling face for a moment as it rang, and then Shiro picked up. There were some shuffling noises on the other end as Shiro went back to whatever he'd been doing, but he still greeted him happily.

 _"Hey, Keith!"_

"Hey, babe," Keith replied. "Am I interrupting something?"

 _"Nah, I was just cleaning my stuff up. I just finished that Econ project I told you about, finally."_

"Finally," Keith agreed. "Does that mean you're finally free from Professor Hardass?"

 _"I wish. He'll probably have a new one ready for us by next week."_ Shiro appeared on the camera briefly and flashed a smile. _"Lemme heat up something to eat real quick."_

"More cup noodles?"

 _"That's college life for you."_

"I'm sorry," Keith chuckled.

 _"Hey, don't laugh,"_ Shiro whined. _"Not all of us are lucky enough to stay home and eat our parents' cooking."_

" _Lucky_ is subjective. I'm pretty sure cup noodles would surpass Coran's food any day."

Shiro finally pooped down in front of the tablet, noodles in hand and a smile on his face. _"You're so mean to him."_

"It's not mean to tell the truth, Shiro." He waved it off and instead turned his attention to Shiro's warm-looking sweater. "You look snug. Is that college merch?"

Shiro nodded as he slurped his noodles. " _Yeah, they had a sale on the first week. Figured I'd get one, get into the school spirit, you know?"_

Keith rolled his eyes. That was so Shiro. "It looks so warm. I wish I was there so I could cuddle with you in it."

Keith relished in the way Shiro blushed through the pixelated screen. _"I-well, I'll be sure to bring it with me next time I see you."_

"I'll hold you to that," Keith replied softly. "I miss you around here, you know?"

Shiro poked at his noodles as his face softened. _"I miss you too, Keith,"_ he murmured. _"I wish you could be here, I bet you'd love it."_

Keith smiled wanly at him. "Well, maybe after this year I could...I mean, after I work for a bit I could decide what to do..."

Shiro nodded silently, then he changed the subject. _"Anyway, speaking of work, how's that going for you?"_

Keith groaned, and Shiro laughed. The distraction from sadness was welcome, and ranting about his annoying coworkers did feel good, especially when someone as good a listener as Shiro was on the other end. Despite their distance, Keith was glad that Shiro could still be there for him, even if he wasn't really... _there._

* * *

"So have you seen your roommate around lately?" Keith asked curiously one night.

 _"Uh, not really?"_ Shiro replied. " _At this point I forgot that Slav is even supposed to be here. I think he's started staying with some friends off campus, which is fine by me, he was a pain in the ass."_

Keith gasped. "What? Shiro not getting along with someone? That's a first."

 _"You'd be saying something different if you knew him, Keith. I'm serious, he's annoying."_ Shiro grimaced. _"I don't even like thinking about him. Quick, change the subject."_

"Fine, fine. What about everyone else? College friends?"

 _"Oh yeah, there have been plenty. There's these four people in one of my flight classes, and we work pretty well together. I think they all knew each other from before, but I guess I'm officially part of their clique now."_

"Congratulations."

 _"Oh, and the program also has an exclusive club where people can go train together. It's a really good time. Everyone is so nice."_

Keith smiled softly at him while he spoke. "That's-amazing, Shiro. I'm glad you're having a good time." He paused, then smirked at him. "I just hope you don't end up meeting some hot college guy and forgetting about me."

 _"What? Never."_

"You sure? Not a single one?"

 _"I-sure, there's hot guys, but I still like you best."_

Keith flushed but continued to smile. "Good."

Shiro rolled his eyes. _"Anyway, if you're done staking your claim, I-"_ he was interrupted by his phone buzzing at his side. _"Ah, hold on."_ He checked his phone for a moment before his eyes widened. _"Oh, shoot, I almost forgot about a group project due in two days. Sorry, Keith, we'll have to talk tomorrow."_

Keith nodded. "That's fine, go finish your homework. I'll see you tomorrow."

 _"Thanks, babe. Love you."_

Shiro hung up, and the room felt eerily silent. Keith sighed and snuggled into the covers. Nothing else to do now, so he may as well just go to sleep.

* * *

Sometime toward the end of September, Shiro answered a call without getting off of his laptop.

 _"Sorry, I'm swamped. Is it okay if I do homework while we talk?"_

"Sure, but don't forget to pay attention to me."

 _"Uh, I'll do my best."_

For a little while, Shiro did indeed manage to multitask. Keith rambled in about his day, the weird customers he had to deal with and Coran's Strange Recipe of the Day, and Shiro laughed along with him. At some point, however, the responses tapered off. Keith found that he was talking to the air while Shiro stared in concentration at his laptop screen.

"...Shiro, are you listening?"

No reply.

"Shiro!"

Shiro blinked and turned back to him. _"Oh. Uh, sorry, I kinda got distracted by my paper. What were you saying?"_

Keith pouted. "Nothing. If you're busy, we can do this some other time."

 _"No, I promise it's fine, it's just..."_ he trailed off, turning briefly back to the laptop and rubbing his eyes. He sighed. _"Ok, maybe you're right, I...do need to concentrate on this right now. I want to talk to you, but...research papers are such a bitch."_

"I know the feeling. I'll talk to you when you're free so I can have your _full_ attention."

Shiro smiled apologetically. _"Right. I'll be sure to make time for you. Bye, Keith."_

* * *

The next night, Shiro didn't pick up. Keith tried a few times, but each time ended up staring at the screen for a few excruciating minutes until it disconnected.

Keith sighed and tossed his tablet aside. He was probably just busy. Schoolwork, college friends, whatever it was he needed to do...Shiro probably wouldn't have time for a video call _every_ night. Keith could live with that.

He wasn't sure what to do with himself with that extra hour before bed, though. Maybe he could watch TV or find his own set of friends to hang out with.

* * *

The night after that was the same, and Keith managed to make up for it by calling Matt and Shay to hang out a little bit. It was weird not being with a group of friends after having so many in high school, but that was the way things worked, he supposed. At least he wasn't pining alone at home, but that didn't mean he wasn't getting anxious.

Keith crawled into bed later that night, satisfied, when suddenly his tablet began ringing. Keith went still with surprise for a moment, but hurried to answer.

Shiro's tired face filled the screen. His hair was messy and there looked to be bags under his eyes, but his eyes were wide when the call started, as if he was surprised that Keith even picked up.

 _"I am so sorry,"_ was the first thing he said, and Keith couldn't help but smile.

"You should be. I thought you were blowing me off."

 _"No, don't say that, I just had a bunch of things on my plate—oh, gosh, I feel terrible."_

"It's okay, Shiro, you're busy," Keith reassured him. "I don't blame you if you need to skip a night or two. Just text me or something next time, okay?"

 _"I know, I know, I'm so sorry. I won't do that again. I feel like a jerk."_

Keith smiled. "Well, a jerk wouldn't call in a frenzy in the middle of the night just to apologize. I think you're fine."

Shiro gave a hollow laugh. _"Okay. It's just—I said I'd make time for you, but apparently I haven't been keeping that promise as well as I should. I'll be there at our usual time tomorrow."_

"You'd better."

Shiro smiled widely, and yawned.

"Getting bored of me already?" Keith smirked.

 _"No. I'm exhausted."_

"College is kicking your ass, huh?"

 _"You have no idea. But it's nice to see you after a long day, you know? Good way to end it on a high note after all the work."_

Keith flushed. "You always say the sappiest things."

 _"I mean every word."_ Shiro smiled and rested his head on his hand. _"In all honesty, though, I like my classes. It's a lot of work, but it feels...satisfying, you know? Like I'm accomplishing something."_

"I'm glad to hear that."

Shiro yawned again.

Keith chuckled quietly. "You look beat. Get some sleep."

 _"Oh. Yeah, I guess I should. I've been pulling a lot of all nighters lately."_

"Seriously? Ok, you _really_ need to sleep. I'm hanging up now."

 _"Wait, hold on. I have something important to say first."_

"What?"

 _"I love you."_

"Oh my God," Keith buried his face in the pillow, trying to his his smile while Shiro grinned from ear to ear on the other end. "I love you too, you dork. Now go to sleep."

 _"Yes, sir. Good night, Keith."_

* * *

If Shiro was anything, he was definitely a man of his word. The next couple of weeks saw video calls that were always on time, only missing out on a few. And there was plenty to talk about.

 _"...so Nadia decided she wanted to fly right over the roof of the building with one of the new crafts that had barely been tested, and she only stopped because Ryan talked her out of it. You should have been there, the professor looked like he was about to cry."_

Keith laughed. "That sounds like a blast. You're making a pretty strong case for me to join you next year."

Shiro's face lit up. _"Oh God, please do. It would be even better if you were here."_

Keith grinned. "I'll think about it. If I go to college, I'd probably have a part-time job, so I'd like to have at least a year of work experience under my belt first."

Shiro deflated a little, but nodded. _"That makes sense, but..."_ he pouted. _"I don't want to wait until next year to see you in person."_

"You don't have to. You'll be coming home for Christmas, won't you?"

 _"Yeah, of course."_ Shiro looked happy again. _"Oh man, everyone's gonna be there, huh? I can't wait to see them all again. Has Allura become the President yet?"_

"Last I spoke to her, she was crying over not understanding legal documents from the 1700s."

 _"Pfft. Well, I give it three years before she's taken over the world."_ He paused while Keith nodded in agreement, then bit his lip. _"Anyway, I should get going. See you soon?"_

"Hopefully in a month you'll be here for real."

Shiro nodded. He looked like he wanted to say more, but settled instead for a smile and a goodbye.

* * *

 _"Hey Keith, can I tell you something?"_

Keith cocked his head curiously. "Sure."

Shiro hesitated for a moment. _"Well, it's...I'm not sure how to word this, but...thanks for calling every night. I feel like if you'd let this thing slip, I'd lose myself in my work and forget to take some time away from it. Like...it's because of this promise we made that I'm able to stop and bring myself back down to Earth, you know what I mean?"_

Keith smiled. "So talking to me makes you feel grounded?"

 _"Pretty much, yeah. You're like my alarm clock, reminding me not to become a working robot and get some damn sleep."_

Keith laughed, and Shiro joined him.

 _"I'm serious though. As much as I like it here, it's easy to get in over your head if you're not paying attention. These routine calls kinda...keep me sane. So, thanks."_

Keith sighed softly and stroked the edge of the screen with his thumb. "No problem. And your calls give me something to look forward to at the end of the day. So consider us even."

Shiro chuckled. _"I'm glad to hear it. I'm definitely going to need more of this when finals roll around and I become a walking ball of stress."_

"Oh shit, when's that happening?"

 _"In a couple weeks. But the good news is I'll have more than a month off after that."_

"Hey don't worry, I'll be here to encourage you through it."

 _"Thank you, love. I can't wait to see you. And everyone. But mostly you."_

Keith laughed softly, heart swelling at the realization that he'd soon get to hug and kiss Shiro again after all those months apart. "Hey, I won't tell them. But they already know I'm your favorite."

Shiro rolled his eyes. _"Of course. And I'm yours too, hopefully."_

"Always. Good luck on finals. I'll see you soon."

* * *

On the 18th of December, Allura texted Keith to let him know that she and Matt had picked up Pidge and Lance from the airport, and they would swing by to grab Shay and Hunk before heading to Allura's place. Keith told her he'd meet them there as soon as his shift was over. He was so ready to just kick back and relax with his friends for two weeks.

Shiro was still not here, but he'd told Keith he'd arrive on the 20th, so it wasn't much longer now. He could hardly wait.

Keith drove over to Allura's house in Coran's tiny car, and upon arriving was immediately tackled as soon as he walked in.

"Keeeeeeeith!" Allura squealed, squeezing him tightly. "Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you, I've missed you so much!"

"Hey, Allura," Keith choked out, hugging her back while trying to loosen her grip on him at the same time. "I'm glad to see you too. Do you regret majoring in political science yet?"

"For your information, Keith, I passed all my classes this semester with flying colors. Don't make fun of me."

Keith pulled away from her and held his hands up defensively. "Alright, I'm sorry." He turned to everyone else in the room. "Hey everyo-"

He was immediately swept into another hug, this time by Hunk, who practically crushed every bone in his body. No sooner had he left _that_ embrace did he get tackled by an excited Pidge. He was barely keeping his balance, but in honesty, he wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone was finally back together...almost.

Lance gave him a loose hug of his own before punching him in the shoulder. "So, how's the workforce been treating you?"

"Well, it's nothing glamorous, but at least it's cash in my pocket. How's out-of-state tuition treating you?"

Everyone snickered, then took their various places on the couches and chairs littered in Allura's first living room. They took turns sharing stories of the past semester, along with excited plans of what to do over break.

"Who wants to plan another trip?"

"Allura, _no."_

Keith laughed with them, feeling nostalgic.

A door somewhere in the house opened where Keith couldn't see, and Allura suddenly perked up. Out of nowhere, she turned to Keith with a huge smile and said, "Keith, we have a surprise for you."

Keith raised an eyebrow, turning to his other friends and noticing their equally excited grins aimed at him. "Uh...what surprise?"

Allura stood up and grabbed his arm. She led him to the front of the room in front of a corridor, and made him stand facing the rest of them. "Ok, just stand here and don't move. Don't turn around. You'll see in a second."

Keith narrowed his eyes at her as everyone else started to giggle. "What's going on?"

He felt like someone was behind him. He started to turn when Allura's shrill voice stopped him again- " _Don't turn around!"_

Keith stiffened in place and the giggling continued. Hunk let out a little squeal.

"Seriously, you guys are weirding me out, what's-?"

Before he could finish, a pair of hands, one flesh and one metal, suddenly covered Keith's eyes from behind, and Keith almost pushed them away before the realization hit him. A second later, a very familiar voice whispered in his ear, "Guess who?"

Keith gasped.

He barely even registered his friends' laughter as he turned to see Shiro, really _there_ and smiling joyfully from ear to ear. "Surprise!"

Keith threw his arms around him and Shiro pulled him close. "You're here!" Keith gasped. "You're really-but I thought you weren't coming for a few more days!"

"Slight change of plans," Shiro replied. "Are you happy?"

"Are you kidding me?" He pulled out of the hug and pulled Shiro down for a kiss. "I'm _ecstatic._ "

He was so warm, so tender, just as Keith remembered. It had only been a few months, but it felt like it had been so much longer...

It was Lance who finally pulled them apart. "Okay, okay, that was cute, but save the rest of the lovey-dovey stuff for when you're alone, okay?"

"Oh, leave them alone, Lance," Hunk piped up. "Can't you let them have their happy reunion?"

Shiro laughed and put his arm around Keith as he walked him back to the couch. "We'll try to save it for later, but no promises."

* * *

That night, Keith held Shiro tightly around the waist as they lay on one of the beds in a guest room. Keith still couldn't believe this was real, but the smell of Shiro's clothes and the fingers raking through his hair were enough to convince him it was.

"I missed you so much," Keith whispered, barely fighting back the tears.

"I missed you too," Shiro replied. "You have no idea how excruciating it was to wait at the airport this morning."

Keith laughed. "I can imagine." He snuggled further into Shiro's chest. "How...how long are you staying?"

"Until the 21st of January."

"Really? That's a long time."

"Yeah, semester breaks are pretty great. We've got plenty of time to be together now."

Keith smiled. "Good. Gotta make up for all that time with nothing but phone calls."

"Hey, I _like_ the video calls," Shiro pouted.

"I know, I know. They're great, but they don't compare to actually being next to you."

Shiro paused for a moment. "Yeah." There was probably more left unsaid, but that was okay. They had over a month together to say anything they wanted.

"I'm gonna go to sleep. Good night, Shiro. I love you."

"I love you too, Keith."

As Keith snuggled into the blankets and pulled Shiro closer, he couldn't help but think this was worth the wait.


	11. Like Something From A Dream (part 1)

Like Something From A Dream (Cinderella AU)

There were things that Shiro liked about being the Prince of a powerful, influential nation. Like being able to influence, and eventually make, the laws that would affect and hopefully help the people, as well as being pampered and having about a thousand bodyguards. But there were also things he didn't like about it. Like being pressured to marry a woman as soon as possible-and if he couldn't find one on his own, he'd have to attend a ball where every single woman from in and around kingdom was artificially put in one place and fighting for his attention.

Yep. Being the crown Prince sure was swell.

Shiro tried to remain optimistic. Surely there was at least _one_ single woman in the kingdom who could catch his eye. The ballroom was crawling with them, and he'd danced with at least twenty so far.

There were definitely some ladies who seemed nice, and would probably make good queens. Allura of Altea was a born diplomat-charming, beautiful, and assertive. Katie Holt from Olkarion was a little awkward, but incredibly intelligent and witty, and could probably get what she wanted anytime. Romelle of Pollux was a little too talkative for his taste, but she was also a sweetheart, and he couldn't bring himself to be annoyed with her. And there was also Acxa, from a place Shiro couldn't remember the name of. She was quiet, but not shy, and seemed to understand exactly what you were thinking merely from studying your face.

All of them were great women who Shiro respected...but none that would make his heart _flutter_ the way his parents seemed to desire for him.

That is, until _she_ appeared.

She was announced as Lady Katherine of Marmora, and as soon as she entered, it was obvious there was something different about her.

The first thing that caught Shiro's attention was her behavior. While most of the ladies were weaving politely through the crowd and making conversation, Katherine was almost barreling through. Her long black hair trailed behind her. One hand was holding up her red skirt slightly so she could move, while the other held a fan that covered half her face. Wherever she was going, she had all her attention focused on her destination, and that kind of laser-sharp focus was...something Shiro found oddly intriguing. He had to get a dance with her.

Katherine seemed to pause momentarily, as if she'd lost sight of where she was headed. She frowned, staring straight ahead to contemplate her next move. This was his chance. Shiro excused himself from the group who was surrounding him, and quickly made his way over to the lovely raven-haired newcomer.

"Lady Katherine?"

Katherine whirled around at the sound of her name, almost stumbling in her heels. Her eyes widened when she saw Shiro, and for some reason, he couldn't tell if they were blue, purple, or gray.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Shiro continued, smiling in a way he hoped was charming.

"Oh," Katherine replied from behind her fan. She coughed and flushed in embarrassment. "I-it's okay."

Her voice was rather deep, soft in a way that made her even more alluring, and Shiro couldn't help but smile more. Wow. One look and he was already smitten.

"You seem to be a little bit frazzled," said Shiro. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," she replied quickly. "I'm just-wondering where the refreshments are."

Shiro chuckled. "Those don't come out for at least another hour. They want us to dance ourselves to exhaustion first so we can devour all the food when it comes out."

Katherine just blinked. "Oh."

Finally, Shiro held out his hand. "This is a party, you know-it's okay to relax and have some fun. Dance with me?"

Katherine froze, looking almost shocked. The fan was still in front of her face, and it sounded like she was whispering to herself. She didn't reply for a little while, and Shiro's heart skipped a beat. Of course she wouldn't refuse a dance, it was why she was here, after all. But Shiro couldn't help the nervousness that knotted itself in his stomach when she hesitated. Plenty of women for him to choose from, and yet he feared rejection from this one in particular.

Finally, Katherine put her fan down on a table and took his hand. "Ah-yes. I'd love to dance with you, Your Highness."

Shiro wanted to sigh with relief, but instead his breath caught in his throat. He could see her whole face now. She was stunning.

Shiro led her to the dance floor and they took their positions. He placed a hand on her waist and tried to pull her closer, but she adjusted so that there was an inch between them. He didn't push it, instead trying to decipher what she might be thinking with her pretty eyes darting all over the place and the way she was biting her lip.

"So," he began. "I take it this is your first time at a royal ball?"

Katherine looked up at him. "What...makes you say that?"

"You know, just barging right through without greeting anyone, and generally looking like you're trying to escape."

Her eyes widened again and she looked away in shame. "Uh...you're right, I'm not completely sure how to act in this sort of situation. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't offend you."

"No," Shiro replied, twirling her around to the music. Her arms and torso seemed surprisingly muscular. She must be athletic. "Confused me a little, maybe. But I don't think I could be offended by someone as lovely as you."

She turned red and tried to hide her face behind her hair. "U-um...thank you, that's...nice of you to say."

Shiro grinned and waited for her to look back up at him before continuing. "So, Katherine...I don't think I've heard the name before. Tell me about yourself."

"Oh, I'm...the daughter of the Duke Kolivan of Marmora. I'm a born strategist, I know multiple languages, and I enjoy horseback riding and painting by the river."

Shiro cocked his head as she finished her speech. "Wow. Did you rehearse that?"

Her jaw dropped. "N-no! Of course not."

"I'm just teasing you. That's all great. I'm curious, though, do you practice swordfighting?"

She paused for a moment. "What...makes you say that?"

"You just seem like an athletic type. Do you use any other weapons? Axes? Maces? I'm just saying-you don't get muscles like that from painting. I've tried."

She finally smiled, and oh. Shiro thought he would burst with how his heart was pounding. There's no way a woman this beautiful could be real. He must be dreaming.

"No, just...just swords," she replied bashfully. "You caught me."

Shiro smiled and leaned closer. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm not the traditional type. I think women with swords are badass."

She gasped, but it became a laugh. "Are princes allowed to use that kind of language?"

"Are you going to report me to my parents?"

She laughed again. "No."

She seemed more relaxed now, enough to let Shiro pull her a little closer and look into her eyes. He felt like he was going to melt under that gaze, but he kept it together.

"Katherine," he said again, voice low. "Do you want to...sneak out of here?"

She looked surprised. "What?"

"It's stuffy in here. There's too many people. We can go for a walk in the garden. Just the two of us."

"I-we just met."

"I know." He blushed, loosening his grip on her a little. "I know, and I hope this isn't too forward, but-I feel like there's...a connection, of some sort." He cleared his throat. "Uh, I mean. I would like to get a moment alone with you. Nothing untoward, just...a walk. If that's okay."

Katherine's eyes darted between his face and the others around them as she considered his offer. "Well...okay. Let's do it."

Shiro beamed, and led her to the edge of the dance floor before taking her hand and sneaking out as quickly as he could.

For about an hour, they wandered through the palace gardens, talking about whatever was on their minds and laughing. The more time he spent with her, the harder he fell. Katherine was so... _easy_ to talk to, despite her standoffish attitude from earlier. It felt like he'd known her forever.

Finally, they found themselves back at a balcony near the ballroom. Katherine leaned over the edge, peering at something down below, while Shiro watched her bemusedly.

She stood back up. "You can see _everything_ from up here," she said.

"I guess it's a nice view," Shiro replied. "Though I bet it's even better in Marmora, with all those rivers you told me about. And the wild untouched nature. I wish I could go see it."

Katherine smiled. "It is pretty nice there. Not much bustle, unlike here." She looked up st the sky and leaned in the railing. "You can see the stars better, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's always a better view when you're in a place humans haven't built on. Less light pollution. You can see all kinds of galaxies." Her voice became almost wistful when she spoke, staring up at the stars reverently.

Shiro looked up too for a moment, but found his eyes drawn to her instead. "Did you stargaze a lot when you were younger?"

"All the time. My dad would take me out whenever he could and we'd name all the constellations."

"I used to come out here as a kid and make wishes," Shiro commented. "Seeing a shooting star would be the greatest thing in the world for me. I was more excited than I was getting birthday presents."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything. I should show you a proper meteor shower sometime. It's breathtaking."

Shiro smiled at her, taking in her starlight-bathed form. "I think the view here is breathtaking too."

She turned to him, face reddening again as she realized what he meant. "Yeah," she whispered. "I guess...it's nice."

Their faces were inches apart. Shiro didn't remember leaning in, but he could feel her breath on his face and couldn't see anything but her eyes. It was like he was drowning. It was perfect. "It's beautiful," he murmured quietly. Then, before he could chicken out, he closed the gap between them.

Katherine made a noise that was both surprised and pleased, and she leaned into the kiss. Her lips tasted like strawberries. Shiro knew he should pull away, but she was intoxicating.

Katherine pulled back first, gasping for air...and then the clock struck midnight.

Her face went pale. "Oh _no,"_ she whispered. Before Shiro could ask what was bothering her, she turned away and started running off the balcony.

"Katherine!" Shiro called out, catching her arm. "Wait, where are you going? What's wrong?"

"I-I'm sorry, Your Highness," she stammered, pulling out of his grip and looking away frantically. "I have to go. _Right now."_

"But why?" Shiro asked. "What happened? I thought-"

"I'm sorry!" She cried again. "I-I-I have to leave! I can't stay with you! Goodbye!"

"Katherine, _wait!"_

He followed her as she frantically ran back into the ballroom, almost knocking some guests over in the process. Katherine weaved her way through the crowd, leaving Shiro frantic as he quickly lost sight of her. "Katherine!"

"Prince Shiro!" Someone called out. People started to surround him, and he was forced to stop. "Where have you been? Why are you running? Is something wrong?"

Shiro grit his teeth and searched the crowd again, but it was no use. He hung his head in disappointment. "It's...it's nothing. Go back to the party, everyone. Sorry for the alarm."

Shiro kept a straight face for a the rest of the night, just like he had before she'd arrived. But it felt so empty now. Several times during the ball, Shiro would search the crowd again, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but to no avail. Katherine didn't appear again.


	12. Like Something From A Dream (part 2)

_"You got distracted."_

 _"What? I caught the guy, didn't I? I stopped him from attacking the palace. What more do you want?"_

 _"You didn't stick to the plan! You were supposed to find him before midnight. You got lucky that the attack was delayed. One second later and there would have been a catastrophe!"_

 _"Would've, could've. It didn't happen. I accomplished the mission. Can we please stop talking about it now?"_

 _"We need to make sure this type of distraction doesn't happen again."_

 _"It won't. It's not like I'll ever see the prince again anyway."_

* * *

After the ball, Shiro only had one person on his mind: Katherine. He couldn't stop thinking about her, about how she'd suddenly appeared to steal his heart before disappearing into the night.

There was just one problem: he couldn't find her anymore.

"Are you sure there's isn't some...mistake?" Shiro asked the servant who had been tasked to track her down. "Maybe the Duke just isn't the type to talk about his family. This _was_ her first time attending a royal ball."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I went and checked for myself, and I know for sure," the servant answered. "Duke Kolivan has no children. And there was no woman anywhere in his estate who matched your description. _Katherine_ doesn't exist."

Shiro's heart sank. "Oh," he said simply, staring at the ground. "I see. Well, thank you. You're dismissed."

Shiro paced down the halls once he was alone, trying to figure out what was going on. "Was it just a dream, then?" He said to himself.

Just as he turned a corner, he spotted his younger brother Ryou stuffing food into his mouth that he probably stole from the kitchen. Ryou sat up when he saw him, grinning widely.

"Hey!" he called, jogging up to join him. "Still being mopey? You haven't been able to find your princess yet?"

Shiro groaned. "No. I had someone to down to Marmora to check, but there was no sign of her, or of the Duke having any daughters in the first place."

Ryou raised an eyebrow. "Oh. So, she was a liar, then?"

Shiro winced. "I...hate to think that. I don't want that to be true."

Ryou patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Hey, I'm sorry about that, Takashi. But hey, at least you only knew her for a couple of hours. And I haven't heard of any major catastrophes happening in the palace because of her, so I'd say you got away scot-free." He slapped him on the back. "Cheer up, there's plenty of fish in the sea. You've got an entire line of ladies just waiting to be your bride."

"You don't get it, Ryou," Shiro lamented. "Katherine was... _different._ She actually made me _feel_ something. I-I can't believe she'd lie to me. I don't understand."

Ryou paused, watching him for a second. "...It's weird to see you so smitten."

"It feels weird," Shiro admitted.

"Hey, you know what we could do?" Ryou piped up. "We could go cause some trouble, like we used to. It'll get your mind off it! How about we go mess up some of the bush sculptures?"

Shiro groaned. "No, come on, we're too old for that stuff. I'm the crown Prince, I can't go around playing pranks on the staff."

"Suit yourself, mister Stuffy-Pants. I'm gonna go have fun. Try not to work yourself into a depression over this girl, okay?"

"I'll try. Thanks anyway, Ryou."

Ryou waved goodbye as he ran off to cause trouble, and Shiro sighed as he kept walking.

Shiro eventually found himself in his own bedroom, which wasn't a problem. He could use a nap after all this emotional labor he'd been doing. Shiro took off his outer cloak and flopped down on the bed, groaning into a pillow.

He might have dozed off for a little while, he wasn't sure. But he was startled out of his resting state by a noise nearby, and the feeling that someone was standing behind him.

Shiro turned, and sure enough, a man in black was standing over him, sinister eyes staring down through a mask.

Before Shiro could scream, the intruder sprayed something in his face, and he was out like a light.

* * *

Shiro awoke in a dark, dirty room with his hands tied behind his back, and a group of scary-looking thugs in Black armor glowering down at him.

"Oh look, he's awake," sneered their leader, a big guy with a creepy smile. "Rise and shine, Prince Charming. Welcome to our humble abode."

Shiro's heart lept into his throat. "Who are you?!" He demanded. "Where am I?"

"We are the Fire of Purification," the leader answered. "And you're in our base."

Shiro struggler against the restraints, but they didn't budge. "What do you want?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned with, Your Highness. You're just a pawn in a bigger plan." He chuckled as he started to turn away. "Try not to scream to loudly, will you? The guards get annoyed pretty easily." He turned away from Shiro and to his men. "Let's go. We've got an important message to send to the palace."

The men filed out of the room, leaving Shiro alone with the two guards. He immediately tried to form an escape plan. He'd have to wait until these guards left, or switched shifts, but there had to be a way out of here.

An hour later, someone new entered the room. He was a smaller member of the gang, face covered by a mask, and holding a tray of what looked like gross, stale food. Shiro glared at him defiantly.

One of the guards whistled at him as he walked by, but the man ignored him, placing the food in front of Shiro. Shiro just looked away. It didn't matter how hungry he got. He wasn't going to eat that.

The man stood up straight, staring down at him with that blank mask obscuring his eyes.

Then, without warning, he suddenly punched the guard who'd whistled at him, taking him right out.

Shiro jumped. The other guard charged the man, but was swiftly taken out in a similar manner. Then the man strode over to Shiro and started undoing his restraints.

"What are you doing?" Shiro whispered, still in shock.

"Getting you out of here," the man replied, his voice oddly familiar. "Stay quiet and follow me."

Shiro hesitated, but figured he had no other choice. He followed the man to the door, and looked around the hallway to see if the coast was clear.

"Sendak is getting ready to send a message to the palace about your kidnapping," the man explained. "Which means almost everyone here should be distracted. Let's go. This way."

The man took off down the dark hallway, and Shiro was close behind. Before long, the man pulled him into a tunnel, and they were soon out in the alleyways. It was already dark.

"Where are we?" Shiro finally asked.

"You're in Marmora. We're going to see the Duke."

Shiro's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything else as he sped up to keep up with the man.

The man led Shiro far away from the criminal base and toward the much more sophisticated building belonging to Duke Kolivan. He went around to the side, beckoning Shiro to follow him through a small door. Shiro obliged.

"Who were those guys?" He finally asked. "What did they want? Were they going to demand a ransom? Is my family in danger?"

The man sighed. "Let's just find Kolivan. He'll explain everything to you.

 _Kolivan?_ First name basis? Odd. Who _was_ this guy?

The man finally stopped in a room, full of masked individuals like himself. They all looked to them, tensing when they saw the prince standing among them.

Then, the largest among them, a man without a mask, approached. Shiro recognized him right away.

"Your Highness," Kolivan greeted with a curt bow.

"Duke Kolivan," Shiro gasped. "What's going on?"

"I will explain in a moment. But first, do you mind stepping aside? I need to scold someone."

Shiro blinked, still not sure if this wasn't all a dream, and stepped aside. Kolivan strode over to the man who had saved Shiro, towering over him and staring down sternly.

"Why is he here?" Kolivan asked.

The smaller man tensed. "I freed him from Sendak's den."

"I can see that. That was not part of your mission. You were supposed to be a spy from the inside. Now they'll know you're with us, and we won't be able to keep an eye on them. Did you not consider that?"

The small man sputtered. "Wh-what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just leave him there for them to torture!"

"You're a fool. How many times to you plan to ruin your missions by getting distracted?"

"Hey!" Shiro finally shouted, not able to take this anymore. "I'm right here! Can someone _please_ explain to me what's happening?"

Kolivan sighed, and finally turned away from the small man to face Shiro. "Follow me."

* * *

A short while later, Shiro was in a bedroom in Kolivan's home, seated on a comfy bed and drinking tea while listening to him talk.

"So, let me get this straight," Shiro said. "Our kingdom has been under a threat of uprising from this Fire of Purification for years, and they were planning an attack on the night of the ball?"

"That is correct," Kolivan replied. "We had an agent inside the palace who managed to neutralize the threat, and now we've thwarted their kidnapping scheme as well. You're safe under our protection."

"Right, and these _agents_ are actually Marmora's palace staff? And you're the leader of this secret organization that's been protecting the kingdom?"

"Yes."

Shiro nearly threw his hands in the air. "How did I not know about this? Is no one in the royal family aware of any of this?"

"Of course they know," Kolivan responded, only a slight twinge of emotion in his voice. "Your parents know all about it. And you would have been informed as well, as soon as you took the throne."

Shiro leaned back and groaned. He was going to have a headache soon, he could feel it coming.

"We will find someone to take you back home to the royal palace shortly," Kolivan continued. "In the meantime, we'll have to figure out what to do next. It will be hard to predict Sendak's next move now that we no longer have a spy in his ranks." He looked pointedly at the small man, who still hadn't removed his mask. Small man scoffed.

Kolivan turned back to Shiro. "Do you have any other questions?"

Shiro sighed. "No. I-I think I just need a moment to...process all of this."

Kolivan nodded. "Very well. You can get some rest. We will see you soon." He turned to leave, the rest of his men following suit.

Then Shiro remembered something, and he stood up. "Wait, Duke Kolivan?"

They stopped moving. "Yes?" Kolivan replied.

Shiro bit his lip, embarrassed. "I do have one more question, though it's completely unrelated to any of this."

Kolivan didn't move. "Go on."

"See, there was...a woman I met at the ball. Her name was Katherine." He blushed. "She, uh, she told me she was your daughter, and uh, I've been trying to get in contact with her ever since. Do you, uh...know anything about that? Do you even have a daughter?"

Kolivan stared back with the same expression. Around him, the Marmoran staff burst into giggles, while the small man looked like he was trying to shrink into the wall. Shiro frowned, but kept his eyes on Kolivan.

"I have no children," Kolivan responded.

Shiro's heart sank. "Oh. I see..."

"However, I do know the person you're talking about."

Shiro looked up again with wide eyes. "You do?"

"Kolivan, no..." the small man pleaded suddenly, to which his comrades laughed and pushed him forward. Now Shiro was just confused.

"Keith, remove your mask, please."

"But-"

"That's an order."

The small man sighed, and as Shiro watched in bewilderment, he slowly took off his hood, then the mask covering his face. A mess of soft black hair tumbled out, as well as a pretty pale face and two familiar eyes that were either purple or blue or gray...

Shiro closed his eyes with a whisper. "Oh my God..."

"Prince Shiro, this is Keith," Kolivan informed him, the slightest hint of a smile on his face. "Or _Katherine,_ as you know him. We apologize for the deception. He's simply a master of disguise."

There were more snickers, and Keith turned red in the face and looked away from Shiro guiltily.

Shiro ran a hand down his face as he looked at Kath-er, _Keith._ This day just kept getting weirder and weirder. "You are a man."

"Y-yes," Keith replied. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you. It was just...for the mission."

Shiro couldn't respond. His brain had officially broken.

"You two will be able to catch up later," Kolivan cut in. "Right now, the Prince needs his rest, and we need to plan. Come along, Keith."

Keith cast one more guilty glance at Shiro before slinking away after his leader.

Shiro stood frozen in his place for a moment, then he collapsed on the bed. His mind felt like static. So much was happening. He was kidnapped by rebels. Marmora was actually full of secret agents. And Katherine, the girl he'd fallen head over heels for, was actually a man named Keith. And he _still_ had the most beautiful eyes Shiro had ever seen.

This was too weird. He needed to sleep. Maybe he would wake up and realize that this really _was_ all just a dream.


	13. Like Something from a Dream (part 3)

Shiro awoke to the bleak realization that everything that had happened last night was completely real. He sighed, got himself ready, then headed out of the bedroom.

It was late in the morning, and Marmora staff— _agents—_ were bustling around, nodding politely at him as they passed. Shiro wandered around until he found Kolivan, looking over plans with some other men.

"Good morning, Your Highness," Kolivan greeted, stern as ever. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," Shiro replied. "So, what's the plan now?"

"We're working on it. And we're also getting a carriage ready to take you home. Though depending on how busy our agents are, that can happen either at the end of the day or tomorrow. I hope that's not a problem."

"No, it's fine. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not at the moment. You're free to do what you want around the premises."

Shiro nodded, leaving Kolivan to his business.

After a few minutes of exploring the estate, Shiro found himself in a large courtyard, where two people were sparring against each other. They were using unconventional-looking blades, and one of the men was much smaller than the other, but he made up for it with speed. It didn't take long for Shiro to recognize the smaller one as Keith.

Keith. Not Katherine. Keith. It was still so weird. He'd been pining over Katherine this whole time, and now...now he didn't know _what_ to feel. But despite knowing the truth now, Shiro still felt the urge to talk to him, if only just to clear the air.

Keith and his opponent finished their match, and Shiro walked down to meet him without another thought. The taller agent saw him coming and nudged Keith teasingly, to which Keith gave him a glare.

Shiro stopped in front of Keith and smiled politely. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Keith replied quietly. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"I am. I don't think I ever really thanked you for saving me yesterday. Who knows where I would be right now if it wasn't for you."

"Oh," Keith looked down with a sheepish shrug. "It was nothing, really. Besides, Kolivan already chewed me out over it."

"Forget Kolivan. I'm the prince and I'm saying it's a good thing. Thank you, Keith."

Keith smiled at him, and Shiro's traitorous heart skipped a beat. "You're welcome."

There was a pause, and Keith shuffled in his place again. "Oh, and uh...I'm sorry about the ball. I never intended for things to go that far, I-I wasn't trying to lead you on or anything..."

Shiro faltered slightly, but forced himself to keep smiling. "Ah, I'm just-I admit I'm a little confused about that. Do you not have any female agents who could have done the job instead?"

Keith scoffed. "We do, but all of them are either too old to pass as a bachelorette for the Prince, or they just _happened_ to be busy with something else that night."

The taller opponent finally looked up from where he was drying himself off and grinned. "Plus we all had a bet going over whether he could pull it off."

Keith glared at him. "Regris, shut up or I _will_ cut your throat."

Regris laughed and finally went somewhere else.

Keith turned back to Shiro. "For the record, I got a cut of that money. They owed me big time."

Shiro chuckled. "Looks like you guys have some nice camaraderie going on here. But anyway, all is forgiven. We can start over now, I hope."

Keith nodded.

"You mind if I take a look at your blade?"

Keith held it up proudly and handed it to Shiro. "Every agent has one. But this one was a gift from my mother."

"It's beautiful." Shiro gently turned it over in his hands, noting its deep violet-blue color that reminded him of Keith's eyes.

"We've got more in the armory if you want to take a look," Keith offered. "I mean, uh-if you're the type to nerd out about swords."

Shiro smiled. "I'd love to see them. And you could give me a tour of the rest of the place too, if that's okay. I've always heard Marmora was beautiful, but I never got a chance to see it."

Keith nodded happily. "Follow me."

Shiro giddily obeyed.

* * *

Shiro hadn't even noticed how many hours had passed until the stars started to appear in the early evening sky. Kolivan told him they would leave first thing tomorrow morning, but Shiro didn't mind the delay. He was happy to spend more time with Keith. Time flew by so quickly when they were together.

Later that evening, Keith led Shiro out to a field a little ways off from the base. "I'm glad you got to stick around for this. Look."

Shiro pulled his eyes away from Keith to look up at the sky. The stars sprawled out in front of him, coloring the sky with swirls of color.

"Oh, wow," Shiro gasped. "You weren't kidding about the view out here."

Keith grinned. "Isn't it so much better then your light-polluted palace?"

"Honestly, yeah," Shiro replied. "Kinda makes me wish I didn't have to go back."

"You and me both."

Shiro faltered for a moment, but smirked at him. "You like having me here?"

Keith turned to him, eyes wide for a split second, but he shrugged it off. "Uh, well, I mean-who wouldn't like having a prince around?" He looked back up at the sky and pointed. "Look, a shooting star-make a wish."

Shiro looked at it, but his attention was quickly drawn away by Keith again. The initial shock had faded, and now he was back to remembering how gorgeous Keith had looked under the stars at the ball...and how he still looked gorgeous now.

Keith noticed him looking and frowned. "What?"

Shiro looked at the ground. "Nothing, sorry. Just zoned out thinking about my wish."

Keith smiled. "But you did make one, right? Can't let that opportunity go to waste."

"Yeah. I wished that my parents will suddenly change their minds and tell me that my chosen suitor doesn't have to be a woman."

This time, Keith was unable to shrug off the flirtatious comment before Shiro noticed his surprise. Shiro couldn't help but grin at the open-mouthed expression he gave him.

"Wh—you—I—." Keith stuttered, but managed to compose himself with a sheepish laugh. "Ha, y-yeah, that'll be the day. I don't think any shooting star magic will help you with that one. Don't you need to have an heir?"

Shiro winced and looked at the ground. "Yeah..."

He was quiet for a moment before looking at Keith again, the bliss of being with him undercut by a painful longing. Keith was looking upward again, apparently unaware of what he was doing to Shiro by merely existing.

After awhile, Keith stretched out his arms. "Well, I hate to cut this short, but I'm gonna have to head back. Already took enough time off today."

Shiro nodded. "Yeah, it is getting late. Thanks for spending the day with me, Keith. I really appreciate it."

Keith smiled at him. "No problem. Come on, let's get you back. You'll probably need some rest before leaving tomorrow."

They headed back to the base, and Keith walked Shiro to his room. "Good night, Your Highness."

Shiro hesitated a moment, watching as Keith turned to leave. Then he called out after him. "Wait...uh, are you coming with me tomorrow?"

Keith stopped and turned around, surprised. "Huh? Why?"

"I-it's just..." Shiro shifted on his feet, fumbling for words. "If there's going to be an attack, some of your agents will have to come with my to the capital, wouldn't they? To meet with my parents and form a plan? I...was hoping you'd be one of them. You do have some insider knowledge, after all."

Keith was grinning again. "You make a good point. I'll be there."

"Really?"

"Yeah, someone's gotta be there in case you need to be rescued again."

Shiro laughed. "Well, thanks. Good night, Keith."

Keith walked away at last. Shiro closed the door and flopped down onto his bed, sighing blissfully at the ceiling. Oh, he was in _so_ much trouble.

* * *

As promised, Shiro and several agents headed out first thing the next morning. Keith was seated next to Shiro in the carriage, much to the delight of both, though they both had to focus on Kolivan sitting in front of them.

"Sendak knows that his plan was thwarted, but he also sent out a message to the palace, so who knows what he's planning to do now," Kolivan explained. "For all we know, he could attack us on our way back just to get the Prince back in his hands."

Shiro and Keith bristled. "So they could jump us right now?" Keith asked.

"We did send word to the palace that we were bringing you back, so it's possible he got wind of it somehow. But don't worry, you've got plenty of agents here to protect you, Your Highness. If anything happens, we'll capture Sendak first and end this right here."

Shiro nodded slowly. "Okay."

Keith looked out at the small but fierce-looking group of agents walking alongside the carriage. "In that case, I think I'll go out there and keep lookout with them." He got up and started to hop outside the door, and Shiro pouted.

"You're leaving me with this guy?"

Keith smiled. "Hey, I promised to protect you, didn't I? Don't worry, you can still wave to me from in there." With that, he hopped out of the carriage and joined the group of agents outside.

Shiro chuckled fondly as he watched him go. Then he remembered that he wasn't alone. He turned back to Kolivan, face heating up slightly with embarrassment. "Uh, that was a...that was a joke. I have nothing against being in here with you, Duke Kolivan."

Kolivan's expression remained unchanged. "You two make quite the pair," he said monotonously. Then he went back to the papers in front of him. "Now then, assuming we don't get jumped, here's the plan for when we get there."

Shiro sunk into his seat, so embarrassed he wished he could disappear.

* * *

After a miraculously uneventful trip home, Shiro was embraced by his family. They had but a few minutes to get through their emotional sentiments and relief that Shiro was okay, before Kolivan cut in an explained that they still had work to do. The reunion was already undercut by a strategy meeting.

"It seems that for whatever reason, Prince Takashi is his main target," Kolivan was saying. "They had no problem abducting him from right here in his bedroom, so obviously we're going to have to beef up security. For all of you."

Ryou, standing next to Shiro, gulped.

Shiro's father managed to keep a straight face and nodded. "Of course. But what do you think will happen now? Since his kidnapping scheme was thwarted, do you think he will try something else? Or go back into hiding?"

"There's no way to know for sure," Kolivan replied. "Which is why we need to be prepared for anything."

The strategy talks went on until everyone decided to take a rest. Kolivan approached Shiro and Ryou, with Keith and a couple of agents in tow.

"I'm sorry to say this, but you both are going to need a guard with you," Kolivan told them. "At all times. Until the situation is neutralized."

Ryou frowned. "Even...in the bathroom?"

Kolivan was unfazed. "Yes." He nodded at the agents behind him. One of them, who Shiro recalled was named Vrek, stood dutifully next to Ryou. Keith started to step forward as well, but Kolivan held him back.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm...the Prince's bodyguard?"

"I don't think so. Ulaz will be guarding Prince Takashi. You'll be with me."

Keith's face fell, and Shiro stepped up.

"Duke Kolivan-I don't mean to offend, but, I would be more comfortable with Keith."

Kolivan paused for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine. But Keith-" he leaned down to look him in the eye. "Don't get distracted."

With that, Kolivan and the rest of his men sauntered off. The two princes were left with their guards, and Shiro and Keith didn't waste a second to grin at each other once the others left.

Ryou eyed Vrek warily. "So is there, uh, like some ground rules, or a personal bubble or something...?"

"We won't get into your personal space unless absolutely necessary," Vrek replied. "Just pretend we're not here."

Shiro pouted at Keith, who already had his mask up. "Well I didn't ask for you to shadow me just so I could ignore you."

Keith turned to him. "Please, Your Highness. I know we're friends, but I still have a job to do."

Shiro smirked. "Well, I hope I'm not too distracting, then."

Keith's expression was invisible behind that mask, but Shiro hoped he'd caught the hint. Meanwhile, Ryou leaned over and looked at Keith curiously.

"So, uh, you going to introduce me, or...?"

"Right," said Shiro. "Ryou, this is Keith, he saved me after I was kidnapped. Keith, this is my younger brother. You can call him Dumbass."

"Uh, _Prince_ Dumbass, that you very much."

Once the introductions were out of the way, the princes started heading off to find somewhere to rest, guards right behind them. Ryou leaned closer to Shiro and started whispering so the agents couldn't hear.

"So, uh, forgive me if I'm wrong, dear brother, but some of your comments toward that little man seemed a little...flirtatious."

Shiro only faltered slightly. "I don't know what you mean."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Come on, Takashi. I know you. I've only ever seen you smile like that when you talk about your girl, Katherine."

Shiro bit his lip. "Oh. Yeah. About that. The truth is, Keith actually _is_ Katherine."

Ryou's jaw dropped, and he nearly tripped over himself as he looked from Keith back to Shiro in shock. "H-how?"

"Long story, but he was in disguise for a mission. This is who he really is." He grinned sheepishly at Ryou. "There you go, now you know why we're so close."

Ryou frowned.

"It's funny, after all this time looking for him, he's the one who ended up finding me. Go figure."

Ryou cleared his throat and lowered his voice even more. "Uh, Takashi, I know you already know this, but I think you need a reminder: You can't marry a man. A man can't give you an heir."

Shiro cringed. "Yes, I know that, Ryou." He paused for a moment, thinking. "But...what if I gave you the throne instead?"

Ryou's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Huh?"

Shiro shrugged, smiling to himself. "I mean, it's silly, but if I'm not the crown prince, I would be able to marry whoever I want, and, hey, didn't you always say you wanted to be the king instead?"

"Y-you'd give up your birthright for some guy?"

Shiro hesitated, and shrugged again. "Hey, I didn't say I _will_ , I was just...just saying."

Their conversation slowed to a stop, both of them lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

After everything was in place and night had fallen, Shiro finally returned to his own room. He was exhausted, and all he wanted to do was sleep for the next three days. Last time he's been here, he was abducted in the middle of the night, but now he wasn't worried. Guards and Marmoran agents were stationed all around the palace, and Keith was here, standing dutifully by the door.

Shiro looked over to Keith and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to get any sleep?"

Keith turned to him. "In a bit. I'm going to switch off with Ulaz for the night shift."

Shiro smiled, laying down. "Ok, good. I wouldn't be happy if you had to stand there all night while I slept."

"Wouldn't be a very effective agent if I'm sleep-deprived."

"True." He stared at Keith for a moment from his bed, watching as he stared straight ahead, no expression visible from behind the mask. Shiro recalled his earlier conversation with Ryou and sighed. There had to be some way to work this out. But before he could think about it too much, exhaustion started to catch up, and Shiro drifted off.

Somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, Shiro thought he felt Keith walk closer, feeling his warmth as he pulled the covers over him and whispered. "Good night, Your Highness." There may have been a grazing of lips on his cheek, but as far as Shiro knew, the whole thing was a dream.


	14. Like Something From A Dream (part 4)

Nothing groundbreaking had happened by morning. Shiro had woken up to find a different guard in his room-Ulaz-and while he seemed nice, Shiro was predictably waiting to be handed off to his favorite Marmora agent.

Keith appeared about an hour after Shiro had awoken, and Shiro wasted no time in whisking him away somewhere else. After breakfast, Shiro nonchalantly led Keith out to that balcony by the ballroom, and delighted in the way Keith perked up in recognition.

"You remember this place, don't you?" Shiro asked, leaning against the railing.

Keith nodded slowly. "Yes. It's where you took me when we first met-the night of the ball."

Shiro nodded. "A little less secluded now that all these agents are hanging around, but I think they can ignore us for the time being." He turned to Keith with a smile. "You can take that mask off now. It's just us here."

Keith hesitated. "I...I'm supposed to be protecting you. I can't let my guard down."

Shiro shrugged. "Suit yourself. But I don't really see anything to be protected from right now." Shiro turned away from, it he could still hear Keith shuffling behind him, before he walked over to stand next to him, mask down.

Shiro's breath caught in his throats for a moment. He would think he'd be used to seeing Keith's face by now, but it still had that effect on him.

Keith gave him the smallest playful smirk. "Ok, you got me out of my mask. What do you want now?"

Shiro could think of a million things he _wanted,_ but he just shrugged again. "Dunno. Everyone's just waiting around for an attack that may not even happen, we're free to do whatever we want."

"And I'm sure you just want to stand around here and enjoy the view."

"What's more relaxing than a nice view? Especially when you're with good company."

Keith feigned surprise and looked around. "Who do you mean? There's no one else here."

Shiro laughed. "Good point. Guess it must be you."

Keith looked down and chuckled bashfully. They stood there in comfortable silence, and for a moment Shiro contemplated taking his hand. It was stupid. It was so stupid, this situation he'd gotten himself in, but something about Keith wanted to make him live dangerously, to relish every moment they had together until he was inevitably married off to someone else.

The reminder made his heart ache again. He took a breath to steady himself. Too much to worry about right now. He looked back at Keith, who was frowning thoughtfully at the horizon. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Keith blinked out of his trance and started tracing lines on the railing with his finger. "Nothing. Just...wondering how long this will last."

"What?"

"You know, the waiting in anticipation for Sendak to show up. It could happen anytime. We don't know what he's thinking."

"Yeah," Shiro replied softly. "But, I'm not worried. We've got plenty of people to fend him off with."

"True." Keith looked at him sheepishly. "Sorry to crowd you though. We'll probably be out of your hair in a few days."

"Hey, you're not crowding me. Like I said, I like your company."

"Yeah...a little too much, it seems."

Shiro laughed awkwardly. "Well-okay, yeah, you got me there. I'm trying to milk this as much as I can." He paused. "Does...that bother you?"

"No," Keith replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, well-ok, I guess it's pretty obvious that I'm fond of you."

Shiro beamed.

"But...you know this won't last, right?"

Hearing it from Keith's mouth made it sting even more, and Shiro had to look down. "Yeah. I know." He sighed and slumped forward on the railing. "I guess it was too good to be true. The perfect person shows up and I'm not even allowed to be with them."

Keith frowned.

"I really didn't think anything good would happen at a ball where I'm supposed to choose a wife from a preselected bunch, but...then you appeared, and God, I really wanted it to be you." He turned longingly to Keith. "I still do."

Keith gulped. "I'm sorry I couldn't be the person you thought I was."

"Don't be," Shiro reached over and took his hand, smiling softly. "I'm still glad I met you."

Keith blushed and looked down. "I...I am, too. But we...we shouldn't be..."

Shiro ran his thumb over Keith's knuckles thoughtfully. "Keith, I don't want to make you upset. If you want, we can just stop this and forget all about it."

"No, I-that's not the point. I just don't want either of us to get hurt. We'll only be forced apart eventually."

Shiro moved closer, reaching out with his other hand to to Keith's face toward him, noticing his conflicted expression. Shiro spoke quietly. "Then, if it's okay, I want to make the most of the time we have."

He pulled Keith closer, slowly. Keith's breath caught in his throat for a moment. "I-I..." his eyes flutter closed as he finally gave into the pull.

Shiro kissed him ever so gently, his heart fluttering as Keith kissed back. It wasn't exactly the same as the first time, but to Shiro, it was perfect.

They broke the kiss but barely moved apart. Keith seemed dazed for a moment, but then he smiled widely. "What is it about this balcony that makes you so kiss-happy?"

Shiro chuckled softly. "Oh, I don't think it's the balcony."

Keith laughed and gladly let Shiro pull him back in for more. This time, Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro and held him tight, and Shiro did the same for him. Neither of them held back. The world around them seemed to fade away. It was just the two of them.

Then an explosion rocked the building and shook them out of it.

Keith reeled back, taking a moment to regain alertness before looking down at the courtyard to see what happened. He cursed under his breath.

"They're here," he said urgently to a shell-shocked Shiro. "We need to get you somewhere safe, now."

Shiro managed to snap out of his trance as Keith pulled him along. "Th-the cellar," he stammered. "That's where we need to go."

Keith nodded. He put his mask back up and drew out his sword before slowly opening the door. Marmora agents were speeding toward the scene of the attack, and shouts rang through the halls. Keith led Shiro through a narrow corner of the hall, trying to get to their destination.

When they reached the stairs, Keith stopped. Down below, fighters of both sides were clashing it out, turning the main hall of the palace into a battlefield. Keith backed up, pushing against Shiro's body.

"The path is blocked," he said. "We'll have to find somewhere else to hide you."

The two men turned around frantically trying to find a hiding place. They threw open a door that would lead them down to a boiler room and ran in, only to stop in their tracks when they found someone waiting for them.

"Well, well," Sendak smirked. "We meet again, Your Highness."

"How did you get in here?!" Shiro demanded.

"That doesn't matter," Sendak sneered. "What's important is that you will now surrender to me. I already have the rest of your family. Give yourself up and I might go easier on them."

Keith sped forward so quickly that Shiro almost didn't see him until his sword collided with Sendak's huge metal arm. They immediately started to parry back and forth. Shiro looked around the room for something he could use as a weapon, but instead, Keith grabbed his arm and flung him toward the inner door.

"Get in the boiler room!" Keith shouted, barely holding Sendak off.

"What about you?!"

"Just _go!"_

Sendak yelled out angrily, trying to push past Keith and grab Shiro...but another agent suddenly appeared to knock Sendak off course.

"Kolivan!" Keith cried in relief. "You found us."

Kolivan stood calmly as if he hadn't just attacked the leader of a coup. "Just passing through the neighborhood, thought I'd drop by."

Sendak stood up again with a growl, and Keith and Kolivan got to their stances. They started to fight again, the two of them just managing to match Sendak's strength.

At some point, Keith finally pulled Shiro off the ground and pushed him into the boiler room. Before Shiro could protest, Keith slammed the door and locked it, leaving Shiro trapped inside.

"Keith!" Shiro cried, banging helplessly on the door. _"Keith!"_

His heart pounded in his ears, and with that and the loud boiler nearby, he could barely make out the fighting going on just outside. He couldn't just sit there while Keith and Kolivan risked their lives for him. Shiro jiggled the lock, then tried to break through with his body, but to no avail.

Eventually, the lock clicked open from the outside. Shiro took a step back, expecting Sendak to come barging in, and his mind supplying all kinds of horrible scenarios that might have happened to Keith-

But instead, Kolivan stared down at him, grim expression the same as always. He looked to be alone. Shiro's heart leapt into his throat.

"We've captured Sendak," Kolivan informed him.

Shiro stumbled out of the boiler room, looking frantically around the room. "Where's Keith?"

"I'm here," a weak voice replied. Shiro turned to see Keith barely standing on the other side of the room, clutching his side.

Shiro rushed over. "You're hurt."

Keith grinned wryly. "Just a flesh wound. I'll be fine."

"But why did you do that? I couldn't helped you!"

Keith shook his head, his smile softening. "It's better that I get hurt than you."

Shiro felt himself choke up. He wanted to scold Keith, tell him how afraid he was, to hold him as tight as he could.

But Kolivan cleared his throat and interrupted their moment. "If I may," he began, a hint of weariness in his voice. "We should probably gather up these prisoners and check in with the other agents."

Shiro nodded. He flung one of Keith's arms around his shoulder, careful not to aggravate the wound, and followed Kolivan out.

* * *

Following Sendak's defeat, the Marmoran agents spent a week taking care of their wounded and debriefing on the events. Shiro's family was fine, thank goodness, and overall it seemed like everything had gone as well as it could have.

Soon, however, it was time for the Marmorans to withdraw from the palace. Which meant saying goodbye to Keith.

Shiro was watching forlornly as Keith gathered his belongings, checking in with Kolivan a couple times in the process. After a moment, Keith turned to Shiro, the pain visible in his eyes.

Shiro gulped. "Are you sure you can't stay?"

Keith shook his head sadly. "I can't. I have to go home."

Shiro closed his eyes and tried to contain his emotions, but couldn't stop himself from pulling Keith into his arms and holding him close.

"Thank you, Keith," he whispered. "And not just for saving my life, twice. You've made me happier than I think I've ever been, even if our time together was short."

Keith hugged him back, burying his face into Shiro's shoulder with a deep breath. "I-I was happy too," he replied. "But...this is how it has to be."

Shiro nodded. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Your Highness."

Despite himself, Shiro smiled. "Please, I think we're past that by now. Call me Shiro."

"...Shiro," Keith whispered, and Shiro's stomach did flips at the sound. "Thank you, Shiro."

Keith pulled away from him, and after one more agonizing moment, turned and followed his fellow agents out of the castle.

* * *

Ryou found Shiro sulking in his room a few days later, and he couldn't really say he was surprised. He leaned against the doorframe with a sigh, watching as his brother layed down and stared into nothingness.

"So, are you going to pine forever over Keith like you did with Katherine?"

Shiro responded with nothing but a sigh.

Ryou looked downward, trying to carefully choose his next words. "He...really meant something to you, didn't he?"

"I don't know," Shiro finally replied. "I know we didn't know each other for very long, but...it always just felt so _right._ Like he was meant to be here with me."

Ryou shook his head. "Look, I...I don't really know what to do in this situation but...I'm here if you need me. It's going to be okay."

Shiro finally looked at him, staring for a long moment as if assessing him. Then he just turned back to the ceiling and nodded.

Nothing changed much, though. After about another long time of sulking and wallowing, Ryou figured there was really only one way for Shiro to be happy.

And so, another non-surprise awaited Ryou when he entered his room one night to find his brother's crown on his bedside table, along with a note in Shiro's handwriting that read, _"Congrats! It's yours now! See you again soon!"_

Ryou ran a hand down his face but didn't hesitate to pick up the crown and carefully place it on his own head. "Idiot actually did it," he muttered to himself. He turned to the mirror in his room, grinning at the reflection he saw. "Well...as long as he's happy, right?"

* * *

The crisp forest air rustled at Shiro's hair as he stared down at the creek, trying to concentrate. He had a sharp stick in his hand, waiting for the right moment to strike. He could see a fish coming toward him, he just had to time it right...

 _Splash._ The fish slipped right past his stick and he came up empty handed. "Dammit."

Behind him, he could hear Keith's unfairly cute laugh ringing out loud and clear. Shiro turned to glare at him. Keith was sitting on a flat rock, dressed down in comfortable outdoor wear, and smirking at him while munching one of the several fish on his stick.

"Stop laughing at me," Shiro pouted. "This is tough, okay?"

"Aww, poor little prince can't catch a fish?"

"Remind me why we're doing this when the Duke's estate is right there where we can go have lunch."

"Because you wanted to impress me?" Keith leaned back as Shiro scowled. "It's a survival skill," he amended. "In case the base gets attacked and we have to scatter. I wouldn't want you to starve to death."

"I'm starving right now," Shiro whined. "Can't you share some of the fish you caught?"

Keith took another bite. "Catch your own fish and eat them."

Shiro tossed his stick aside and sat down next to Keith, pouting at him in a way that he probably thought was irresistible. "Please? I'm so hungry, Keith..."

Keith raised an eyebrow, staring at Shiro's puppy dog eyes. Keith sighed, tore a piece of fish off his stick, and held it out to Shiro. Shiro beamed, moving to take it...until Keith pulled it back and put it in his own mouth.

Shiro looked shocked for a moment, and Keith had to laugh. While he was distracted, Shiro jumped forward and grabbed him, knocking him off the rock. "Jerk!"

"Wha-hey, watch it, Shiro! This thing is sharp!"

"Give me a fish!"

"No!"

They wrestled on the ground for a moment longer, but ultimately Shiro's size got the better of Keith, and the latter groaned. "Fine! Here, take a fish, you overgrown baby."

Keith stuffed a piece of fish in Shiro's mouth, and Shiro laughed triumphantly. Shiro got off of him, but stayed close as Keith sat up, grumbling.

"Thank you, Keith," Shiro sing-songed, scooting closer. "Love you."

Keith froze, feeling his face turn red. He looked at the ground.

Shiro tilted his head, still grinning. "What? Not ready to say it back?"

Keith shoved the stick full of fish at him. "Just take all of them."

Shiro laughed nuzzling closer and kissing him on the cheek. "It's okay. No worries. I've waited this long."


	15. Crush Course--Reunion

Crush Course-Reunion

Keith crossed his legs and tried not to bounce excitedly on his bed as he waited for Shiro to pick up. Beside him, several bags of his belongings sat packed and ready to go. He had some news to deliver to Shiro, and hopefully his boyfriend would be just as excited.

Just a mere month ago, Shiro's break had ended and he needed to go back for another semester of college. Keith had soldiered through their parting for Shiro's sake, but inside his soul had been crying. He'd already experienced being away from Shiro for months, he didn't want to do it again. But what could he do? Shiro had to go back to school, and Keith had to stay and work.

He'd tried to keep a straight face. It wasn't all bad. He still had people to talk to. He still had Coran. His job was decent. And he still got to talk to Shiro every night. There was nothing to be upset about, all things considered.

But of course, his moping didn't go unnoticed.

"You miss him," Coran had mused one night. Keith had been unable to deny it.

"I..."

Coran has been quiet for a moment, sorting through whatever books and papers he'd been looking at. Then he'd piped up, "Say, doesn't Grab n Go Burger have a branch in Phoenix?"

Keith's eyes had widened, and he'd quickly grabbed his laptop to check. He'd forgotten that the burger joint he worked at was a franchise—of _course_ there would be one close to where Shiro currently lived. It would be a lot easier to transfer over there than to find a new job from scratch. Coran was a genius.

It had taken a few more weeks to sort everything out, but now Keith was almost ready to go. He just needed Shiro to hurry up and answer his call.

It only took a few seconds, which felt like an eternity for Keith, but Shiro finally picked up.

 _"Hey,"_ Shiro said.

"Hey, Shiro. How's it going?"

 _"I'm doing good so far. What about you? You look pretty happy."_

"I have some good news."

 _"Yeah? Don't keep me in suspense."_

Keith grinned. "I'm moving to Phoenix."

Shiro blinked once, twice. _"Wh-what?"_

"I'm transferring to a different branch of my work. I'm gonna move near you so we can be together."

 _"Wh—oh my God, that's great! Keith, when did this happen?"_

"It just got finalized yesterday. Surprise."

 _"I—wow,"_ Shiro ran a hand through his hair and smiled back at Keith, just as wide. _"Wow. That's awesome! When are you coming?"_

"The truck's coming to pick up my stuff tomorrow, then I'm leaving on Saturday." His expression turned soft. "I can't wait to see you."

 _"Neither can I. I can't wait to show you around and introduce you to everyone—Wait, where are you going to stay?"_

Keith shrugged. "I'm...not sure. I was going to stay at some hotel room until I could find an apartment."

Shiro groaned and shook his head. _"No don't do that."_ He paused. _"Actually, I've got some news of my own. I'm moving out of the dorm later this month into a nearby apartment. I could...use someone to help me pay the rent. If that's okay."_

Keith's eyes lit up and his heart swelled. "You mean we could stay _together?"_

Shiro rubbed the back of his head. _"I mean, I hope that's not too much too soon, but it does seem pretty convenient how things are working out."_

Keith laughed. "Shiro, that's perfect! I've gotta tell Coran about this."

Shiro grinned. _"Ok, that's good. You'll be here Saturday afternoon, right?"_

"I'm supposed to land at 5 in Phoenix."

 _"I'll be sure to be there to pick you up."_

"I can't wait."

* * *

"Alright, everything's been checked in, you've got your carry-ons-you got your boarding pass?" Coran asked, speaking loudly over the commotion of the airport.

Keith held up his phone, with the pass displayed on the screen. "Check."

"Good. Snacks?"

Keith rolled his eyes and held up the cookie that Coran had insisted on buying for him. "Check."

They arrived at the gate, where people were just starting to line up to board the plane. "Looks like we're just in time," Coran said. He turned to Keith with a smile. "Guess it's time for you to get going."

There was something melancholy in his eyes as he said that, and for a moment Keith had to pause.

Coran raised an eyebrow. "Well? Off you go. Something wrong?"

Keith hesitated. "...it just occurred to me that I'm leaving."

Coran softened slightly. "Well, we both knew you'd be moving out of my space eventually. I'm just glad you're going to stay with someone you care about."

Keith nodded, then stepped forward to give Coran a hug. "Thanks," he told him. "For everything. You've been a great foster dad."

"And you've been a great kid. I've only known you for a couple of years, Keith, but it really feels like you're part of my family."

Keith pulled away and smiled at him. "We'll see each other again soon."

"Of course we will. You've both got to come back for the summer, or Allura will kill you."

Keith laughed.

Coran clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Now get going, you don't want to keep Shiro waiting. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Ok, Coran. Goodbye."

Keith turned around and boarded the plane, heart beating with nervous excitement.

* * *

The flight was only a couple hours long, but it felt a lot longer when he was stuffed between a window and a loud baby, waiting to be reunited with the love of his life.

When the plane landed, Keith wasted no time whipping out his phone to text Shiro that he'd arrived.

 _K: The truck's got all my stuff so I'll be heading right out to the gate. You there yet?_

 _S: I'm waiting at one of the tables. Hurry up already._

 _K: Ok, geez, I'll be out in a minute._

It felt like he could finally breathe once he stepped off the plane and into the airport. Keith took a whiff of the humid desert air, glad to be back on the ground. He followed the crowd down the hallways until they finally got to the area where Shiro was waiting.

Keith search the room until he locked eyes with his boyfriend, who looked almost awestruck to see him. Then they both grinned and started weaving through the crowd, until they finally reached each other. Keith practically jumped into Shiro's arms, and Shiro squeezed him so tight the thought he might explode. That didn't bother him at all, though.

Shiro gave Keith a quick kiss on the lips before pulling back, smiling joyfully. "Hey, you."

"That was one hell of a warm welcome."

Shiro laughed rubbed their noses together cheekily. "I'm so glad you're finally here. It feels like it's been forever."

"It's been a month."

"You know what I mean."

Keith softened, leaning against him. "Yeah. I do."

Shiro kissed him again, then picked up the bag and started leaning him away with an arm around the shoulders. "Come on, let's get out of here. We can take a bus and drop these off at our new apartment, then I can show you around."

Keith couldn't help but smile at the concept of _their_ new apartment. "I'd love to, but I think I'd like to take a nap first."

Shiro blinked. "Oh! Right, of course. You're probably tired from the trip. Come on, let's get you home."

* * *

The next day, as promised, Shiro took Keith for a tour of his campus. Arizona was hot as hell, but he could put up with it as long as Shiro was next to him looking this happy.

"And this is the ancient clock tower that's been here since like...the 1800s when this school hall was built."

Keith looked up at it, shielding his eyes from the sun. "Does it still chime the hour?"

"Yep. And the professors hate it." Shiro took his hand and continued on. "Anyway, let me show you where I take most of my classes. The building is way newer so we get better equipment."

"I'm curious about those flight classes you keep mentioning."

"Oh yeah, let's go check those out. Maybe we can find me friends there, they like to train in the sim lab a lot."

"You mean your clique?"

Shiro rolled his eyes. He led Keith into a shiny gray building in the corner of the campus and they went inside.

"Oh, sweet air conditioning," Keith sighed.

Shiro chuckled. "You'll get used to the weather eventually. Come on, over here."

Shiro walked over to one of the doors and slid his student ID card in to open it. Keith went inside after him and took in the scene with wide eyes. These simulators looked like something out of a TV show. Suddenly college was looking a lot more interesting.

"Doesn't look like too many people are here today," Shiro observed. He nodded toward one of the unoccupied machines in the room and started walking over. He swiped his card again and the screen came to life, displaying a menu.

Shiro took his seat. "Wanna see how it works?"

Keith grinned. "I'd rather try it out myself."

"Welll, technically you're not supposed to use the sims unless you're a student, but maybe you could go for a ride since nobody's waiting."

Keith gave a fake gasp. "Shirogane, are you breaking the rules? What is this, an alternate reality?"

Shiro rolled his eyes. "You want to try it or not?"

"I do."

"Then watch and learn. I'm gonna try to see if I can beat my high score."

"I bet I could beat them."

"Without any training?"

"Maybe I'm just naturally talented."

Shiro laughed, and oh, Keith had missed this. "You're on. But don't get mad at me when I kick your ass."

* * *

Shiro kicked Keith's ass. But that was okay, because he took Keith out to dinner after.

When they returned home that evening. Keith wasted no time flopping down on their couch and heaving a dramatic, contented sigh.

Shiro smiled down at him. "Tired already?"

"Your stupid city is so hot," Keith complained.

Shiro chuckled and gently pushed him to make room for himself on the couch. Keith got up briefly to let him sit, then flopped back down on his lap. Shiro started playing with his hair.

For a moment, they were quiet. It was different this way, being physically together, not feeling like they needed to fill every second with talk. Keith let himself sink into it. They were together now. Hopefully for a long time.

"Keith?"

Keith's eyes blinked open. "Hmm? What?"

"You look like you're falling asleep. You wanna go to bed?"

Keith shook his head. "I wanna stay with you."

"We're living together now, you've got plenty of time to stay with me."

Keith's smile widened. "That's true." Suddenly less sleepy, he sat up and pulled Shiro into a warm, passionate kiss, which was eagerly returned. Shiro giggled a little when they pulled apart.

Keith gently stroked his boyfriend's cheek. "Let's go to bed," he said lowly.

Shiro bit his lip, staring for a moment, and then scooped Keith up into his arms. Keith yelped a bit in surprise as he was lifted up into the air and carried to the bedroom. Then he laughed and kissed Shiro again.

As the door to their room closed, Keith absently noticed that their boxes and suitcases were still lying around, not yet unpacked. That's was okay, they could get to them later. They had plenty of time.


	16. Tailfins--The Mythics (part 1)

Keith pulled his long cloak over his shoulders, briefly inspecting himself in the mirror. He looked like a perfectly normal traveler now. Nobody would suspect that he was royalty at all. That should be enough to put Shiro's anxieties at ease.

Speaking of Shiro, he was currently getting dressed as well, looking much more comfortable in his kingly clothes than before. Shiro had settled into his new role as king much more in the recent months. He'd been spending more time with Keith, and was looking a lot less exhausted. Keith was proud of him. There was no way this could be easy for him, but he was managing, and looking great while doing it.

"So," Keith asked. "What's on your docket for today?"

Shiro sighed. "Another ambassador here to rant at me about new alliance policies. This time I suspect it has to do with convincing the inexperienced king to give him more money."

Keith smirked. "But you're not going to let him get away with that, are you?"

"I think I've been around snobs who think they're shrewd long enough to play their game," Shiro bragged back. He reached over to Keith and gave him a short hug. "You going out again?"

"Yeah. Stuff changes up in the market every few days, I wanna see the good stuff."

"And you're going alone?"

"Yes."

Shiro sighed, and Keith rolled his eyes.

"Shiro, come on, we talked about this."

"I know, I know. Just...take care of yourself, okay?" He touched his forehead to Keith's, pouting at him and making his boyfriend laugh.

"I will, Shiro. Don't worry your pretty head off." He kissed him, then pulled away. "You should probably get going though."

"Alright. You know where to find me."

Keith followed Shiro out of their room, finding all the servants hustling and bustling about. Shiro walked over to where Dayak was standing, and she started whispering to him, probably about the ambassador.

Keith adjusted his cloak and prepared to head out, when he noticed that Dayak was staring at him, her permanent disapproving scowl still on her face. Yep, he confirmed, she still hated him. Time to get out of here.

Keith left the palace, eager to see what was going on in the human world today. The market near the palace was always the best place to look for fun, and it was far enough away from the factories that he didn't have trouble breathing. Not too much, anyway. Today there seemed to be some kind of...international festival going on? Or maybe some of the merchants had just returned from abroad with fresh new merchandise to sell.

Keith paused by a booth selling foreign looking trinkets and snacks, accompanied by a very loud man advertising his shop to others who stood by. Keith tugged on his hood and curiously leaned forward to study the merchandise. One of the plates on display was painted, depicting a man fighting a sort of...winged person? Presumably a monster. Keith had no idea what it was about, but it was fascinating, and Keith found himself drawn to it.

The area around the booth was getting crowded thanks to the merchant's yelling. Keith would need to decide now if he wanted to get the thing, he didn't want to be here when the crowd got too big. As if was deliberating with himself, though, something caught his eye. Or rather, someone.

Across the booth at the edge of the crowd, a young woman with long blonde hair was staring conspicuously at one of the foreign snacks. As Keith watched from under his hood, the girl slowly picked up one of the fruits, holding it up as if she was inspecting it. Then, after checking that the vendor wasn't watching her, she slipped it in her pocket, and then wandered off as if she was disinterested.

Keith's eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly jumped into action. Putting the plate down, he pushed his way around the crowd, trying to locate the girl again. He spotted her trotting away, and started chasing after.

 _"Hey!"_ he shouted, annoyance building up as he went after her. "You! Blonde girl! Give back what you stole!"

The thief turned, face paling, but she didn't stop. Instead, she turned on her heel and sprinted off, pushing through the crowd as she went.

Keith cursed under his breath and started after her again, his cloak fluttering behind him. "Stop her!" He called to the people around him. "She's a thief!"

The thief got further while the crowd stood around in shock, but finally, a few people stepped out to block her path. The thief managed to push past them, but through the combined effort of the people, she'd been slowed down enough for Keith to catch up. He jumped forward and grabbed her arm, sending them both falling to the ground. The thief struggled to get away, but Keith pinned her down, and the crowd gathered around them.

"Let go of me!" The thief grunted, still trying to wiggle out of Keith's hold.

"Give back what you stole!" Keith demanded. He gritted his teeth but managed to hold her down. "Look, you don't have to do this. Just go back and pay for it, and you'll be allowed to go free."

"I-I can't," the girl pleaded. "I don't have any..."

"...no money?" Keith's grip softened slightly and he looked her over. She didn't look particularly poor, but he believed her. For a moment, Keith considered paying for the fruit himself, but then, a voice rang out above the crowd.

"She won't give it back!" An older man suddenly snapped. "I recognize her face! That girl was on my side of a market yesterday! She was stealing left and right!"

Keith frowned, looking down at the girl. "She has no money," he told the man. "She deserves help."

"Maybe she would, if she was a _real person,"_ the man spat. "But that little bitch is a _Mythic."_

The crowd gasped and started to murmur among themselves. They started to close in on Keith and the girl, who started struggling in his grip again.

The man was still talking, but he was drowned out by the shouts of the crowd. Keith whipped his head around wildly. "A-a what? What the hell is a-"

He was interrupted by the girl's loud scream, and suddenly, from under him, she started to...grow. Keith watched in horror as her face transformed, turning into something grotesque, twisted and ugly with sharp teeth, and her shout turned into a roar.

Keith screamed and jumped off of her, backing away along with the rest of the fearful crowd. The monster continued to form, thrashing at the horrified crowd as it went. People screamed and ran out of the way, clearing a path for the monster to run through the market. Then, it suddenly transformed again, shrinking down into what looked like a normal bird, holding the fruit in its claws and flying away.

The crowd panicked for a while longer before they seemed to realize they were out of danger. They then resorted to cursing after the thief, and trying to go back to their daily lives. Keith stood watching in shock, until a hand landed on his shoulder.

He jumped slightly, but then turned to see the vendor who had been stolen from, concern written across his face. "Are you alright, son?"

Keith nodded. "Uh, yeah. I just-I'm a little shaken is all."

The vendor smiled and started leading Keith back to his booth. "I don't blame you. Appreciate you trying to catch the thief, though. Awfully brave of you to chase down a shapeshifter."

Keith frowned at him. _"Shapeshifter?_ Is that something that normally happens around here?"

The man looked him over curiously. "Oh, you're new around here?"

"Well, yeah."

"Ah. Then let me give you a word of advice." He leaned toward him, expression grave. "Be careful of the Mythics. They can't be trusted. Ever."

"Mythics?"

"Monsters of myth who walk among us. They look mostly human, but there's always something off about them. They hide hooves, or wings, or they can read your mind. And they're always out here causing trouble."

"Why hasn't anything been done about them?"

"There has! The previous king tried to get rid of them, but you know how politics are. He couldn't kill them, but there are laws in place to keep them in check. You should be safe, but if you see anything suspicious, hold on tight to your money bag, you hear?"

Keith nodded, trying to process what he'd learned. They arrived back at the vendor's booth, where a young boy was holding down the fort. The vendor slipped behind the cart again and grinned widely at Keith.

"Anyway, since you chased down the thief," the man said, "I'll give you an item here for free! Pick whatever you want."

"Oh," Keith said, still dazed. He picked up the plate from earlier. "I'll take this."

The man pulled out a small bag for him, and Keith was soon on his way, heart pounding as he recalled everything that had happened.

* * *

Keith headed back to the castle quickly after that. He poked his head into the room where Shiro had said he'd be, cringing a little at the sound of the ambassador's loud, ranting voice. Poor Shiro looked like he was dead inside, only lighting up a little when he noticed Keith there.

Keith gave him a little wave and motioned for them to go somewhere else. Shiro shook his head sadly and held up one finger.

 _"What_ are you _looking at?_ " The ambassador piped up suddenly, and Keith slipped out of there before he could be seen.

"Nothing, sir," Shiro answered smoothly. "You have my full attention."

Keith only needed to wait a few more minutes before Shiro slipped out to meet him, a tired smile on his face. He slipped an arm around Keith's waist. "Hey."

"Hey," Keith smiled back. "How'd you get away from him so fast?"

"Distracted him with lunch. What about you? You're back earlier than usual."

Keith faltered a little. "Yeah. I actually wanted to ask you about something. Do you know about the Mythics?"

To his surprise, Shiro looked confused. "The...what?"

Keith frowned. "The Mythics. You know, non-humans who walk around stealing things?"

"Non-humans? You mean like...vampires?"

"I don't know, maybe? I thought you'd know more about them. Apparently they're a menace that everyone in the kingdom knows about. One of them attacked the market while I was down there."

Shiro looked alarmed. "Attacked? Oh my God, are you okay?" He looked him over in concern.

"I'm fine, Shiro, don't worry. I'm just confused. How can you not know about this? People in the square were warning me about these Mythics. People who have wings, or hooves, or can shapeshift, like the one I saw. Someone told me that your father was making rules to restrain them."

Shiro frowned as he listened. "He never told me. But he never told me about anything." He scoffed, then looked thoughtful again. "I've never heard anything about this, but it sounds like I'd better look into it. I guess I've been so busy dealing with people outside the kingdom, I should probably pay more attention to what's in it."

Keith smiled. "That's quite the balancing act you're doing there."

"Oh, honey, you don't know the half of it."

Keith chuckled. "Oh, yeah. I got you something."

Shiro watched as Keith turned to the bag next to him, and grinned. "You had time to shop after a monster attack?"

"I'm a multitasker." He pulled out the plate and held it up proudly, while Shiro tilted his head. He took the plate from Keith and looked it over.

"Ooh, fancy. What is it?"

"Not sure, it was at one of the stands. But I thought it was cool."

"Well, thanks." He ran his hand over the painting and turned to Keith. "Say, would this winged person count as a Mythic?"

Keith thought for a moment. "The guy did mention wings..."

Dayak appeared after a second, motioning for Shiro to return to his meeting. Shiro handed the plate back to Keith.

"Here, put this in our room. I'll be done in an hour or two, okay?"

"Ok, Shiro. Good luck with the bellowing ambassador."

Shiro groaned and gave him a light shove before he left Keith alone. Keith sat there for a moment longer, staring at the plate, wondering what all of this meant.

* * *

A few weeks later, a familiar face showed up in the market. Keith almost didn't recognize her at first-her hair looked different, and she was dressed differently too. But it was the shapeshifter from before, he knew it.

Keith watched from the other side of the road as the shapeshifter swiped object after object from various booths while people weren't looking-or simply ignored her. Keith knew better than to draw attention to her this time. So he just kept an eye on her.

It wasn't fair. People shouldn't just be able to get away with stealing just because they had a secret monster form. But then again...if she truly had no money, then clearly the unfairness went both ways. Keith wasn't sure how to feel. Surely nobody could just be an unfeeling monster, right? Right?

Slowly, Keith followed after the thief from a distance, using the crowds and booths to keep himself from being seen. Vaguely, he regretted not taking Shiro's advice on bringing a guard, but pushed the thought away and continued after his target.

After a few more minutes of shoplifting, the girl started leaving the marketplace. She hadn't seemed to notice Keith yet, so he kept following. The girl zigzagged between some buildings, heading east. That was closer to the factories. Keith's lungs started to burn from the smog, but he held in the cough. This was a bad idea, he knew, but something in him told him to keep following that girl. His eyes burned from holding in his cough, but he soldiered on.

As they got further out, the girl's hair changed back to the long blonde that Keith had seen before. Her steps were faster now, more haphazard...then she stopped. Keith quickly ducked behind a nearby building. He used his cloak in an attempt to filter the air, and leaned out to watch her.

"Bandor?" The girl called out quietly. "Where are you hiding?"

Suddenly, a green-faced gremlin jumped out and yelled at her. Keith jumped and barely managed to contain the coughs in his chest.

The girl barely flinched, then leaned down and hissed at the gremlin. "What are you doing? Keep your voice down! And don't shapeshift, someone will see you!"

The gremlin rolled its eyes, before it transformed into a normal-looking red haired boy. "How come _you_ get to transform in the middle of a crowded marketplace, then?"

Keith gasped softly. Who was this? A fledgling shapeshifter? A _child_ shapeshifter?

"Because I'm better at it," the girl replied to the smaller one. "Now here, help me carry this stuff." She handed some of her stolen goods to the younger boy, who looked them over curiously.

"Where do you manage to find this stuff?"

"I hit up the marketplace next to the big palace," the girl gloated. "They have the best stuff there."

The boy frowned at her deeply. "You're suddenly sounding real proud of having to steal things, Romelle."

The girl-Romelle, apparently-paused, before she grit her teeth. "Well, we have no choice, might as well make the most of it. Now come on, Bandor, enough talk. Let's get this stuff back to the base."

Keith coughed.

The two shapeshifters stiffened, turning toward the sound as Keith hid behind a wall. _Crap crap crap._

Keith pressed himself against the wall, waiting for the two monsters to find him...but they never came.

Shaking, Keith turned back to where they'd been standing, only to find that they were gone. Keith searched around for any trace of them, but couldn't find one. He stepped out of his hiding spot, confused, continuing on his previous path. Maybe they'd ignored him and gone into hiding?

Keith continued forward, breathing through his cloak. He kept going, until he suddenly found a secluded corner between one of the buildings. Curiously, he stepped forward, making out the outline of a door in the shadows-

 _Slam!_ Something knocked Keith to the ground. Keith thrashed until he was on his back, but when he looked up, he saw the two shapeshifters, thankfully in human form, staring down at him.

"You!" Romelle spat. "Why are you following us?!"

Keith coughed again, irritated by both the air and the shock. "Hey-listen, I mean no harm. I just wanted to know why you were stealing."

"You tackled me down in the market last time I saw you!" Romelle snapped. "And now you're following me! What do you want? Who are you?"

Keith coughed again and pulled himself off the ground, as Romelle stood herself in front of Bandor protectively.

"Listen," Keith tried to explain himself. "I offered to help you last time, remember? You told me you have no money. I was going to help you pay."

Romelle softened slightly. "So? That was before you knew what I was. You...couldn't still want to help us, do you?"

Keith hesitated, looking down at Bandor's scared face. "Why do you steal? Is it for him? Is he your brother?"

"What does it matter to you?"

"Look, everyone here thinks you're a monster! But you look like people! You act like people!" Keith was interrupted by yet another cough. He panted, trying to figure out his thoughts. "Listen. I'm not from around here. But I...I know what it's like to have to hide yourself. I can help. There's got to be some way you can take care of your family without stealing."

He looked up, and Romelle just looked surprised. Suddenly she was looking at him as if she was seeing for the first time. "You've had to hide yourself?" she asked.

"Are you a Mythic?" Bandor piped up.

Keith was caught off guard. "I, uh-I'm not. I'm human. But I still know what it's like to be different. Please, we can figure out a solution. We don't have to hate each other."

Romelle scowled, but Bandor suddenly stepped forward. "Romelle, we should take him to the base!"

" _What?"_

"I know he's human, but I think he's telling the truth! If a human is willing to understand us, then maybe he can start changing minds!"

"Bandor, we don't know who this guy is! And besides, the others would kill us if they found out we brought a human into the base!"

"Please, Romelle, this could be our only hope. Besides, he's alone. And he's practically at the base's door already."

Romelle tried to protest, but looked at Keith's pleading eyes and shut her mouth.

"Also," Bandor lowered his voice. "If things go south, we could always...get Ina."

Keith did not know what that meant. He was suddenly very worried.

Romelle thought for a moment, then sighed in defeat. "Fine, let's show him the base."

Both of them flanked him as they turned and headed toward the door Keith had seen earlier. Keith gulped, wondering what the hell he'd just gotten himself into.

Romelle knocked in a pattern on the door, and it opened from the inside. Keith heard voices from inside, and the three of them stepped through the door.

The base was small, filled with different people, all of the, strange in their own way, and it made Keith's head spin. Wings, and hooves, and other physical oddities attached to human bodies. And those who looked mostly normal were still obviously not human, not with all the flowing objects and glowing eyes. Keith couldn't believe it. Monsters of myth. They were all real.

People near the entrance looked up curiously, noticed Keith, and stiffened. They whispered to their neighbors, who also turned to him, and the chain reaction eventually reached the end of the room. Everyone was looking at Keith, appraising him, and making him feel very very tiny.

"Hey everyone!" Romelle greeted loudly. "We, uh...we found a newcomer! He just moved here! We've decided to show him around the base."

There were loud footsteps from the side, and a skeptical brown haired man emerged from the crowd, looking Keith up and down skeptically. "So, what is he?"

"He's Mythic!" Romelle replied with too much enthusiasm. She tried to pull Keith away, but the man called after her again.

"I could have guessed that, Romelle," he said. "What _kind_ of Mythic is he?"

Romelle froze. "He's...uh, he's a-"

Keith pulled away from her, annoyed, and turned toward the man. "Are you the leader around here?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "We don't have a leader, but I make it my business to know everything that's going on. The name's James Griffin. Who might you be?"

"I'm Keith. And I won't lie to you." He shot Romelle a look. "I'm human."

The crowd gasped. Romelle cursed, and James's faced paled. He turned to Romelle and Bandor with an angry glare, then snarled at Keith. "What do you want from us?" he hissed.

"I want to help," Keith replied, loudly enough for the others to hear. "I haven't been here long, but I can tell that what's happening is unfair to you. I know people in power. I can make them aware of the situation, things can change."

"People in _power?!"_ Someone snapped. "People in _power_ are the reason we're here!"

"Yeah, the _king_ forced all to hide ourselves, we can't even get normal jobs because of him!" yelled someone else.

James motioned to a couple of bigger guys, how grabbed Keith by both of his arms. Keith's heart pounded as he struggled in vain. This had been a huge mistake.

"Wait, James!" Bandor pleaded. "You can't hurt him! Give him a chance!"

"We're not going to hurt him," James replied reassuringly. "But even if he's being sincere, one human can't change everything. no matter how influential he might be." He turned around and searched the crowd. "He should forget he ever saw us. Where's Ina?"

There was more clamoring from the crowd, and Keith's protests fell on deaf ears. James stepped forward toward a woman with short blonde hair and snapped her out of an apparent daze by whispering softly in her ear. He lead her to where Keith was being held, and pointed to him.

"That's him," James grumbled. "Just wipe the last few hours from his memory, then we'll drop him off somewhere."

Ina looked at Keith with intense blue eyes, seeming to stare into his soul. She blinked once or twice, seemingly confused. "Why do you want me to erase his memory?"

"Because he's _human,_ Ina!" James replied, exasperated. "He's not supposed to know about our base."

Ina frowned. "But...he's not human."

Keith stared back at her. Romelle and Bandor looked perplexed, as James looked at them questioningly.

"He...he told us he was human," said Romelle.

"I am," Keith affirmed.

Ina shook her head stubbornly. "No. Your _energy_ isn't human. It's...it's..." her blue eyes started to glow. Keith squirmed. This was freaky. He shouldn't be here. He had to get out before this chick made him burst into flames, or made his head explode, or-

Suddenly, Ina gasped. "This is amazing!" Her eyes stopped glowing, and she beamed excitedly at Keith. "You're...a _merman!"_

Keith thought he felt his heart stop. How? How could she have known? For a moment he actually looked down to see if his legs were gone, but they weren't.

Everyone in the room looked equally confused. "Um, Ina, what are you talking about?" A woman with glasses asked. "The guy's got legs, not a fish tail."

"I-I've never seen anything like it-" Ina stammered, pacing in her spot suddenly. "There's some kind of strong energy emanating from him, some kind of magic." She turned to Keith again. "It's true, isn't it? You were born a merman, but you were transformed."

The grip on Keith's arms loosened, and the big guys set him on the ground, but he suddenly wanted them back so he could steady himself. "I...yeah. But I...it was a permanent spell. I'm human now. All traces of merfolk blood should be gone."

The other Mythics looked like their eyes would bust out of their heads. Ina just looked excited, and placed a hand on Keith's shoulder. "The body can be altered, but a soul can never change. You...You're one of us, Keith." She grinned wider. "You're a Mythic."


	17. Tailfins--The Mythics (part 2)

It was still a bit of a shock, several days later, knowing that he was part of a group that humans hated. It seemed that Allura hadn't been completely wrong after all. But at the same time, Keith suddenly had a sense of purpose, more than he'd felt ever since coming here. Being holed up in a castle library studying law was the last place he thought he would end up. But the books and documents were already spread before him, and there was no going back now.

He'd never liked studying history. He still remembered how Kolivan's lectures had bored him to sleep more times than he could count. But that was only because he could never see the point—it was different now. There were people who were suffering. People _he_ was connected to. He had to find out what had happened to get these Mythics into the position they were in, and how to reverse it.

Keith lost track of the time he spent researching, but soon he heard a knock on the door, and he turned to see Shiro walking in.

"There you are," Shiro said with a smile. "Been looking for you for the past half hour. What're you doing here? I thought you'd be out and about."

Keith stood up from his chair, suddenly feeling the ache in his legs. "Sorry. I've just been...looking for something."

Shiro crossed the room to where Keith's messy desk was, giving his boyfriend a quick hug and kiss. Then he looked down at the table, confused. "What's all this?"

"Well, uh. It's kind of a long story," Keith began sheepishly. "I'm looking for information about the Mythics."

Shiro turned to him, surprised. "You mean those monsters you told me about?"

"They're not monsters, Shiro, they're people," Keith replied. "I believe they've been unfairly treated. I-I met some the other day, and they all just seemed normal like us. I just wanted to find out what happened."

Shiro picked up one of the books and flipped through it curiously. Keith kept talking.

"You've really never heard anything about this before?"

Shiro frowned. "Not until you brought them up the other day. I asked some of the staff about it, but they told me not to worry—that Mythics were just a menace that my father had already taken care of."

Keith grit his teeth. "Not surprising. From what I heard, it sounds like he tried to basically stamp them out of existence as much as he could. Even these history books don't have much aside from old myths." He frowned. "They did tell me something about laws your dad made...the ones that keep them from living their lives normally. I was hoping...maybe you'd take a look at that, but I couldn't find anything in my research."

Shiro thought for a moment. "Hmm. I think I know where you can find that. Follow me." Shiro put the book down and started out of the library. Keith followed him down the hall, up the stairs into another part of the palace. "If it's a law, you'll probably find it in my study's library. Every law ever created in the kingdom is in there."

Keith grinned. "Of course the king gets his own library."

"You make it sound way nicer than it is. Everything in there is boring."

They arrived at Shiro's study, and once inside, Shiro pulled open another door to reveal rows and rows of books, documents, and...scrolls? How far back did this go?

"Whoa," Keith whispered. "That is...a lot."

Shiro walked over to a shelf and stated fingering through the files. "Let's see...this should be fairly recent. Oh, I think I found something." He reached toward the back of the shelf and pulled out a stack of papers, marked clearly with the word "Mythics."

Keith excitedly stepped closer. "Perfect. Now maybe we can figure out what the deal is."

But as soon as Keith spoke, Shiro started flipping through, heart sinking as he took in the pages of tiny text, covering everything from the jobs that Mythics couldn't have to what they weren't allowed to eat.

Keith's smile disappeared at the sheer length of it. "What _is_ all this?"

"Looks like there was a lot more to this than we realized," Shiro murmured. "My father must've been dedicated to making life as hard for them as possible. Keith, I'm sorry, I don't think this is a situation where I can throw out everything in the file. I'd have to know everything that's in it before I can take action, and, well..."

He trailed off, but Keith already knew what he would say. "You don't have the time."

Shiro turned to him apologetically. "I'm sorry, love. But between that stubborn ambassador and Dayak breathing down my throat about everything else, I just...we'll have to shelve this until I'm able to clear some time out of my schedule for it."

Keith bit his lip. He was never the type to be good at waiting, especially for an unspecified amount of time. He didn't like the idea of pushing this situation aside while innocent people suffered for it. But what was he going to do? Ask Shiro to drop the rest of his duties to read this encyclopedia-length document? There had to be another way.

"I can look through it," Keith said.

Shiro blinked, surprised. "What?"

"I can read through the laws so you don't have to waste time on it." He took the large file from Shiro's hands and smiled. "I can find all the important parts that need to be changed, and any loopholes in it. I was already doing research anyway."

Shiro let him take it, but he continued to look confused. "Why?"

"So you can focus on your other duties."

"No, I mean, why is this suddenly so important? A while ago you told me that a Mythic was stealing and attacking the marketplace. How come you want to help them? How are you sure they're not monsters?"

"Shiro," Keith began, surprised by the question. "It was a misunderstanding. I talked to them, I—." He paused, biting his lip as he lowered his voice. "I _am_ one of them."

Shiro's frown deepened. "What are you talking about?"

"Merfolk count as Mythics," Keith explained. "They _knew_ somehow, they could tell I wasn't completely—originally human. They welcomed me as one of them, I saw how they were living, I _know_ they don't deserve this. I have to help them."

Shiro paused for a moment, processing what he'd heard, and sighed. "Ok, Keith, If it's that important to you, I guess I can't stop you."

Keith smiled with relief. "Thank you, Shiro."

"But, don't spend all your time cooped up reading, okay?" He leaned in closer and touched Keith's face gently. "I don't want you stressing yourself out."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Like you?"

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Yes, like me."

Keith chuckled, but before they could say more, Dayak's shrill voice interrupted their moment.

 _"Your Majesty! Where have you gone?!"_

Shiro gave a tired sigh. "I guess that's my cue."

Keith smiled at him. "I'll see you for dinner?"

"Of course. But again, don't coop yourself up in the library, okay? Take care of yourself."

"I'll be fine, you worrywart."

Shiro kissed him quickly on the lips, and they headed out of the study. As soon as Shiro has left, Keith turned on his heel and headed straight back to the palace library.

* * *

The so called "base" of the Mythics was the exact opposite of the royal palace, all dirty and chaotic, but somehow Keith found himself enjoying it just as much, if not more. He was welcomed with pats on the back and lots of curious questions when he came back, and now he found himself squished at a table with a few other Mythics, each of them talking over each other.

Romelle and Bandor were on either side of him, acting as his guides in all things Mythic, and across from them sat two others—a quirky, smiling girl named Nadia who glasses and clear wings, and a seemingly human-looking quiet guy named Ryan. Both of them were looking Keith over curiously, which was no different from how everyone else had been treating him so far.

"So, Keith," Nadia was saying, chewing on some odd-looking food. "I'm curious—how exactly did you get humanoid legs if you're originally a merman?"

Keith shrugged. "Magic, I guess."

"I know, that's what Ina said," Nadia replied. She leaned forward, smiling eagerly. "But, like, what kind of magic specifically? What was the process? What energy did you tap into? Is it passed down within a specific group or can anyone use it? Is—."

"Nadia, give him a break," Ryan spoke up, breaking his silence. "You're scaring him."

Keith chuckled nervously. "No, it's fine. But I'm afraid I don't know much. I just swam into some mysterious orb, my sister performed some kind of spell, and here I am." He shrugged helplessly. "All I know about Malfun's magic is that it's...embedded under the kingdom and it's very powerful. It's restricted to monarchs, and only for emergencies. Or, for turning merfolk into humans, apparently."

Nadia leaned back, eyes wide. "Amazing. I can't believe I finally get to hear about underwater magic. Ocean faes have been a mystery for ages."

"Ocean faes?"

"Fairies that live in the depths of the ocean. They're so separated from the other fae communities that nobody knows much about them. Are they still around? Will they ever come to the surface? Actually, before now, it was rumored that merfolk and ocean faes were one and the same."

Keith blinked, a little off put at her rambling. "Oh. Well, uh. Sorry to disappoint. The only person who can use the magic in my kingdom is my sister."

"And let me guess," Bandor said. "She lives at the bottom of the ocean."

Keith nodded. Then he turned back to Nadia, inspecting the clear wings attached to her back. "So, that's what you are, then? A fairy?"

Nadia grinned wider. "Yep! I specialize in air and wind. Want me to make you fly?"

"You can do that?"

Nadia pulled out a small pouch and poured some pink dust into her hand. She whispered a few strange words into the dust, before tossing it into Keith's face.

Keith coughed, trying to wipe the dust from his face...before he suddenly realized that he was floating.

"Whoa—! Hey! I don't remember saying yes!"

As Keith flailed in the air, the others in the room simply laughed at him. He pouted, taking a moment to steady himself and marvel at how he was floating in the air.

"Okay," he managed. "So, you can make people fly. Why do humans not like that, exactly?"

Nadia rolled her eyes. "Oh you know, it's more of a general hate. Fairies can manipulate nature, so they can't be trusted or something. Also, I can do this." She waved her finger, and the spell immediately wore off, sending Keith tumbling to the ground.

"Ow..." he groaned. Everyone laughed again, aside from James, who could be heard exasperatedly telling Nadia to knock it off.

Keith dusted himself off and sat back down, shooting Nadia a look. "Ok, I think I'm done with that now. What about you, Ryan? What kind of Mythic are you?"

Ryan hesitated for a minute, and Nadia just jumped right in—"He's a vampire."

Keith's face paled. "Wh—a vampire?"

"Thanks for letting me speak for myself," Ryan said to a grinning Nadia. Then he turned to Keith, expression still nothing but stoic. "Yes, I'm a vampire."

"Oh." Keith smiled again, trying not to show how nervous he suddenly was. "Does that...mean you drink blood?"

"Yes."

"...human blood?"

"...Sometimes."

Nadia scoffed. "Oh come on, who's scaring him now?"

A ghost of a smirk appeared on Ryan's face, but it disappeared quickly. "I don't hurt people," he said simply, before waving the subject off. "Anyway, I am still curious about you. Where did you come from? You sure have some nice clothes."

Keith started. He looked down at his outfit, now dirtied from Nadia's little trick, and hastily tried to cover it with his cloak. "Oh. I, uh—."

All four of them had their eyes on him once again. "You did mention you have friends in high places, didn't you?" Romelle asked.

"Uh. I did say that."

"Oooh," Nadia piped up, excitedly leaning on her hands again. "You managed to work your way up the food chain, huh? So what are you, a noble? Having a Mythical noble in the kingdom would be good news for us."

Keith laughed nervously. He debated telling them the truth, but decided against it. Telling them that his boyfriend was the son of the man who had ruined their lives probably wouldn't go over too well.

"Something like that," he told them instead. "The influence I have is, uh, limited, but..." he frowned, pausing. "I did have a look at those laws you told me about, and I might be able to find some loopholes."

A hush fell over their table.

Ryan, surprisingly, spoke first. "Are you serious? You're saying you can actually change things?"

"I'm not promising anything," Keith replied hastily. "But, I'm going to try."

Again, nobody spoke, until Romelle grabbed his arm excitedly. "Well, this is amazing!" She squealed. "Can't believe Bandor and I managed to find a Mythical noble! If you need anything, I can be your backup. I've always wanted to take on the court from the inside. We'll be best friends!"

Keith smirked, relaxing at last. "Oh, now you want to be best friends?"

"Well, we already kinda are, right Bandor? We can be your grizzled shapeshifting bodyguards, and we can storm the palace! Ooh, imagine if we got to actually confront the _king!_ That would be terrifying, but we would stand strong and we..."

Romelle continued rambling on about her fantasy, while the other three poked fun at her. Keith tried to listen, but his attention was drawn away by James, standing just a few deer away, staring right at him. He looked annoyed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. When he caught Keith's eye, he nodded toward the back, signaling Keith to meet him there.

That didn't seem good, but Keith's curiosity was piqued.

"Uh, I need to use the restroom, I'll be right back." Keith untangled himself from Romelle's arm, leaving her to her conversation with the others. Then he pushed his way toward the back of the room, where James was waiting.

Keith approached him cautiously, trying to decipher his expression. They were in a relatively more excluded corner of the room now, so Keith could talk without yelling. "Did you, uh, want me for something?"

James' jaw tensed and he looked him over, calculating. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Who are you?"

"...pardon?"

"I heard you talking with Romelle and the others just now," James said. "Not to mention the rumors have been swirling since you first came here. Do you really have some kind of power? Or are you giving these people false hope?"

Keith was taken aback. "I—I'm not trying to trick anyone, James. I really do know someone influential. I'm just saying that I'll try."

" _Who_ do you know?" James snapped. "And who are _you?_ Why are you being so vague, why won't you tell anyone your actual position?"

Keith's face grew hot. "Wh—do you think I'm lying?"

Instead of responding, James took a moment to reorient himself, lowering his voice again. "Listen. I'm never one to turn away a Mythical soul. But these people are my family, it's my job to keep them safe, and keep them together. The last thing I need is some newcomer throwing us into chaos by spreading rumors he doesn't plan to follow up on."

"I _do_ plan to follow up on it!" Keith insisted, annoyed. "Why don't you believe me?"

James was quiet again, but this time his face softened, and he sighed. "Even if you're telling the truth, do you really think you can convince powerful humans to just accept us one day?"

Keith paused, looking at the ground. "No, I...I know I can't change the world in a day. But I can at least get it started."

"And, these...people in power you know. You're convinced they'll actually listen to you?"

"Of course."

James raised an eyebrow skeptically, but Keith didn't budge. Of course Shiro would listen to him.

"Humans can't be trusted to see reason," James continued lowly. "They have no reason to care about us, I highly doubt they'd all listen to one person. Especially if it's a whole group of them."

"Just trust me, James," Keith said softly. "I can't just lay low when I know people are suffering. I won't stop until something is done."

James threw his hands up in defeat. "Do whatever you want. Can't say I didn't warn you. But either way—don't feed the people false hope. If you cause a divide in here, we won't hesitate to toss you out."

James started to leave, but stopped next to Keith, speaking quietly near his ear. "And Keith—for your own good—don't let your human friends know who you really are. You'd be surprised how fast they turn."

A chill went down Keith's spine as James suddenly brushed past him and left. He started back to the table, his mood considerably dampened. Bandor saw him coming and scooted over for him to sit.

"What was that about?" Bandor asked.

Keith frowned at the table. "James doesn't believe I can influence some changes to the law."

"It is a pretty hefty claim," Ryan mused. "I doubt it would be a walk in the park for anyone, even a noble, or whatever it is you are."

Keith grit his teeth.

"Don't get mad at him," Romelle said softly. "He used to be more optimistic about this too, but that was before..." she trailed off, looking at the floor sadly.

"...before what?"

Nadia cocked her head at him. "Did no one tell you what kind of Mythic James is?"

"No. He's never mentioned it, either."

"He's an Avian," Nadia told him. A soft smile appeared on her face as she continued. "He used to have these huge, feathered wings and he'd lowkey brag about them all the time—he loved to fly." Her smile faded, sudden sadness crossing her face.

Ryan picked up where she left off, almost growling. "But then one day a human mob caught him. And they cut his wings off. One of them was someone he'd previously called a friend."

Keith's jaw dropped, and he immediately looked around the room to find James. He was standing across the room, talking to Ina, and for the first time Keith noticed the tired bags under his eyes. Keith winced, suddenly getting flashbacks of when he had almost suffered the same fate—he would have lost a part of himself and died had it not been for Shiro.

"That's horrible," Keith whispered. "No wonder he doesn't trust them. I—I can't believe anyone would do that."

Ryan shrugged, still tense. "Yeah, well, that's what you're up against. You be careful, Keith."

Keith was quiet for a long time. Perhaps this should have deterred him, but instead, he found himself feeling the opposite. He had to put an end to this as soon as possible.

* * *

"With all due respect, Your Highness, why are your clothes so dirty?"

Dayak's voice snapped Keith out of his thoughts, as soon as he'd entered the palace. He looked down at himself, once again greeted by the dirty clothes he was still wearing. "I...fell."

Dayak didn't move. Her expression was still just as critical as ever, and Keith wasn't in the mood to deal with her right now.

"I shall get a servant to prepare a bath and change of clothes, then," she said.

"Yeah, thanks," replied Keith. "Where's Shiro?"

"He shall be available shortly. I would suggest not disturbing him."

Keith groaned, and pushed past her without saying anything else. He could still feel her judgemental gaze on him, but he didn't care. Keith immediately went up to his room, ready to get right back to work.

The file was placed on his nightstand. Keith grabbed it and was about to head to the library, when something caught his eye and he stopped. The decorated plate he'd bought in the marketplace was sitting on the nightstand, staring him in the face. A man fighting a winged humanoid monster was painted on it, and only now did he know what it meant. Keith had once found this object fascinating, but now it sickened him.

He threw the plate in the trash on his way out.

* * *

The seconds seemed to be dragging by as Shiro struggled to keep his eyes open. This ambassador, whose name he continued to forget, has been ranting and rambling for what felt like hours, and Shiro was about at the end of his rope.

Across the room, Sam Holt caught Shiro's eye and, behind the ambassador's back, mimed the desire to shoot himself. Shiro had to restrain his responding snort.

"In conclusion!" The ambassador finally said, drawing Shiro's attention. "This agreement is absolutely imperative for the betterment of both our kingdoms, and it baffles me that you refuse to sign it!"

Shiro heaved a tired sigh. "I've already told you why—your proposal is heavily stacked in your favor, and Arus barely gets anything out of it. I've been trying to negotiate better terms with you for days, but you're being stubborn."

"That's simply because there is no other way!" The ambassador wailed. "My people are suffering. We are absolutely depending on Arus for support, and we cannot have anything less than what I have detailed!"

"Really?" Shiro asked dryly. He picked up the paper in front of him and looked it over. "Because according to what I'm reading, half the money you want to borrow would go straight to the crown. How exactly is that for the betterment of the people?"

The ambassador sputtered. "The king needs to money to orchestrate help for the people, of course!"

"Help from what, again?"

He paused. "Lack of food, shelter, job security..." he stopped, noticing Shiro's deadpan stare, and immediately got angry again. "Are you trying to imply that the king is pocketing the money for himself?"

Shiro wanted to laugh, but instead he forced a polite smile. "No, of course not. I'm just confused about why the Krellian government wants to increase the amount they borrow despite the fact that your people's well-being hasn't gotten any better in..." he paused, counting in his head. "Fifteen years."

The ambassador gasped. "Do you realize what you're saying?!"

"I'm _saying_ that you're taking the money for yourself without helping your people or even simply paying us back!"

"Gentlemen, please," Sam interrupted, trying to quell the situation. "There's no need to fight. I suggest we break for the afternoon."

"I agree," the ambassador quipped. "Maybe it's best we give your young king some time to get his emotions in check." With a flip of his robe, the ambassador left the room, his hurried servant trailing behind him.

Shiro slid down in his seat and groaned into his hands. The others in the room all began to leave, except for Sam, who waited for him with a sympathetic look on his face.

"Sam, you're good at giving advice," Shiro said. "How do I get this guy to leave us alone without declaring war?"

Sam chuckled tiredly. "Well, I guess you could either sign the treaty as is, or request a different ambassador. Just say that the two of you aren't compatible."

"If there's something going on with their king, though, I doubt that would make a difference."

Sam sighed and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it now. We're supposed to be taking a break. Go get some rest...I'm going to go find Colleen."

Shiro finally smiled and got up to leave. Sam had the right idea. All Shiro wanted to do right now was find Keith and spend the next few hours doing absolutely nothing together. Or, alternatively, he could coop himself up in his bedroom and sleep until dinner time.

Shiro decided to go with the former, and he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew where Keith would be. Sure enough, as he entered the library, he found his boyfriend hunched over a table again, reading through that sickeningly thick file for some reason.

"Keith, I thought you said you wouldn't coop yourself up in here."

Keith sat up and stretched his back, shooting a smirk at him as he stood. "You're one to talk."

Shiro groaned, walking over to wrap his arms around Keith. "Don't remind me. You wouldn't believe the day I've had."

"Ambassador still giving you trouble?"

"I feel like he's gonna blow his top any second. Not to mention I have a sneaking suspicion that he's not being completely honest, but I have no proof, and all that happens is that we end up arguing for hours." He sighed bitterly. "But never mind that. Let's go relax somewhere, I've missed you."

Shiro nuzzled Keith's cheek and gave him a tired kiss, but Keith's only response was a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, I've missed you too, but...I can't right now."

Shiro frowned. "Why not?"

"I need to keep looking through this file." He gestured toward his desk and started to step away. "Shiro, the more I learn, the more urgent it gets. You won't _believe_ some of the things I've heard—."

Shiro groaned, and reached out to drag Keith back toward him. "Baby, please. You'll never get any results if you work yourself to the bone. Trust me, I know. And I hate seeing you do this to yourself. What happened to the carefree Keith who liked to go out and explore?"

Keith looked annoyed. "Shiro, this is _important,"_ he snapped. "I told you I'd read through this so you wouldn't have to! And now you don't even want me to do that?"

"Well, do you have to do it all in one sitting?"

"I need to get through as much of it as I can! Don't you understand how dire this is? Shiro, I've met an Avian who got his wings chopped off by a mob! And nobody did anything about it! You want me to just sit around and let that continue to happen?"

Shiro stared at him, shocked. After a tense silence, he took a deep breath. "I—Okay, listen, I'm sorry. I know this is important, but _you're_ important, too." He took Keith's hands in his own, speaking softly to calm him down. "Slogging through all of that all at once isn't good for you. You're always telling me to take care of myself, and I want you to do the same."

Keith bit his lip, but finally relaxed and gave Shiro a weak smile. "I...guess we could both use a break."

Shiro smiled back and wrapped an arm around him, leading him out of the library. "Exactly. Come on, let's go grab a snack and go for a walk, my body hurts from sitting all day."

Keith chuckled softly, but was still hesitant as Shiro pulled him away from his work.


	18. Tailfins--The Mythics (part 3)

Matt frowned from his spot in front of the palace door as he watched Keith pull his hood over his head once again and start to leave. Pensively, Matt cleared his throat and called out to him.

"Prince Keith, are you sure you don't want anyone to come with you? I can get someone to cover my shift and go if you want."

Keith seemed startled for a moment, but shook his head. "Thanks Matt, but I know I'll be fine on my own. Never needed a guard before now."

"Well, I figured it's because the other guards barely know you. But if I go with you, it would be easier, right? We're friends."

Keith smiled at him kindly. "Yes, we are, Matt. But that's not the point. I don't want to draw too much attention to myself out there." He turned around once more, calling over his shoulder as he went. "If you see Shiro, tell him I'll be back before dinnertime."

"Yes, Prince Keith," Matt sighed. He vaguely recalled the king mentioning something about wanting to have lunch with Keith, but he couldn't exactly stop Keith when he had his mind on something. That much they'd all learned.

At that moment, Dayak suddenly appeared and stood beside Matt, staring after Keith as he left.

"Does he always do this?" She asked, squinting suspiciously.

"Do what, ma'am?"

"Leave the palace in a hurry disguised as a traveling commoner? He seems to have been doing that lately. Do you know where he goes?"

Matt hesitated. "Uh. No, I don't, at least, not exactly. He and the king both told me that he likes to go out and explore the kingdom. He's excited about seeing it, being a—."

He stopped, biting his lip suddenly. He'd almost divulged that Keith was only curious about the human world because he wasn't human. Thank goodness he'd caught himself.

Dayak raised an eyebrow at him. "Being a what?"

"A...a newcomer. He's curious because it's not like his home."

"His home of Puig."

"Uh, yeah. Puig. That's here he's from."

Dayak squinted at him. "Hmm." She looked out st the door again, then spoke. "Follow him."

"What?"

"I don't like the fact that's he's sneaking out like this. It's rather suspicious. Disguise yourself, follow him and see what he's doing. Then report it back to me."

Matt gaped at her. "Uh—ma'am, if I may speak?"

She looked annoyed, but she obliged. "Go ahead."

"The Prince and I have been friends for about a year now. I know him better than most of the people in this Palace. He's quirky, but he's a good man. He really is just going out to explore, I promise you."

Dayak blinked, her face unchanging. "I see. But I am still ordering you to follow him. And right now, before he gets too far away."

"I—." He finally powered his head, defeated. "Yes ma'am."

"Good. And you—." She nodded to the other guard next to Matt. "Go with him. The situation may require two guards. I'll find someone to fill your posts. Go."

Before Matt could protest, the other guard bowed and started to leave. Matt grit his teeth and followed.

* * *

Once again, they were trapped in the same conference room, staring each other down with mutual restrained annoyance. Shiro leaned on his hands, the pen he was supposed to sign with lying on the table next to him. He waited for the ambassador to say something.

"Now," the ambassador finally began, lowly. "I'm hoping that today will be the day we reach an agreement."

"I agree," said Shiro. "Which means it would be nice if you would stop being stubborn so we can actually negotiate something mutually beneficial."

The ambassador sighed dramatically. "I do wish I could negotiate with you, Your Majesty, truly. But my king has given me his strict orders. There is nothing that can be done." With his stubby fingers, he gingerly pushed the document across the table toward Shiro. "Please, for the final time, I urge you to sign this. If not..." he trailed off, his expression suddenly grave. "Well, I'm afraid our fickle king may start to suspect you as an enemy."

Shiro bristled. "I'm sorry, is that a threat?"

The ambassador put his hands up innocently. "It's a warning! I can not control the way my king thinks. But if your kingdom suddenly withdraws from this agreement, it can easily be seen as a sign of hostility. He could take action if he sees it necessary."

"Action?" Sam piped up. "With what money? I thought you said your kingdom was broke."

The man shrugged. "Yes, that is true, but if, say, another kingdom with more resources decides they don't like you, they would find us ready to back them up."

Shiro glared at him. "So it's a threat."

"I am only letting you know of the consequences."

Sam tapped on Shiro's shoulder, giving only a nod to the ambassador before pulling Shiro aside, out of earshot.

"Your Majesty," Sam said lowly. "I know you're not going to like this, but I think you should just sign it."

"You're kidding," Shiro hissed. "This guy walks in here demanding money and threatening us, and you want me to just cave? Absolutely not, I won't give money to a corrupt kingdom."

"I agree with you," replied Sam. "But we don't actually have proof of any corruption. And until we do, we should stay away from making enemies. You know how valuable it is to have other kingdoms on our side, and if there _is_ any corruption going on, we can't give them any outward reason to turn against us now. At the very least, this would buy us some more time."

Shiro thought this over, and sighed. "I just don't feel right about giving money to someone who is stealing from his country and ours."

Sam's face softened. "I know. But sometimes you just have to make unsavory decisions like this to avoid the worse alternative."

Shiro's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Fine. But next time, we're sending ambassadors over to them. I won't let this go."

Sam gave him the smallest smirk. "Sounds good."

With that, both of them returned to the table and Shiro slowly sat down, a sick feeling starting to rise in his stomach.

The ambassador gave him a disgusting smile. "Now then. Do we have an agreement?"

Shiro snatched up the pen next to him and hastily signed his name before he could think about it too much. "I'd better see this money go to good use, Ambassador."

The ambassador grinned widely and pulled the document away as soon as Shiro was done. "Of course, Your Majesty! Krell humbly thanks you for your generosity."

* * *

Shiro barely managed to stay poised throughout the farewells to the Krellian ambassador, the sick and ashamed feeling in his stomach threatening to overcome him. As soon as he could, he left that place, cursing under his breath the whole time. If being king meant that he had to constantly please slimy nobles like that all the time, then he wasn't so sure he wanted the job.

He didn't have much of a plan to where he was going, just that he was trudging angrily down a palace hall when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Shiro!"

He turned to see Keith bounding down the hall toward him, a huge grin on his face. Shiro's stomach sank even more at the realization that he wasn't happy to see him-and he was always happy to see Keith.

"I'm so glad I caught you," Keith began, breathless. "I think I may have figured something out. I mean, I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I still think you should see what I have so far."

A glance down at what was in Keith's arms answered the question of why Shiro was dreading his presence. The file. That stupid, _fucking_ file.

"Keith, I-"

"Hang on," Keith interrupted him. "Lemme just find it real quick, I had something written down in here..."

Shiro rolled his eyes, his annoyance building. "Keith, please. Not now. I'm not in the mood to look at more documents, okay?"

"No, don't worry, this will only take a second. I've dealt with all the heavy readings for you, all you have to do is sign a few of these pages and-"

"I'm not signing _anything."_

Keith jumped, and Shiro immediately felt bad about his tone. Keith stared at him with a mixture of surprise and concern.

"What-Shiro, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Shiro replied hastily. "Just-can we _please_ not talk about laws and signatures right now? Every time I've been seeing you lately, you're always talking about what's in that file. Aren't you sick of it?"

Keith stared back as if he was just seeing him for the first time. "I-it doesn't matter how tired I am, Shiro. I can't just drop it. There's people counting on me. There's people counting on _you."_ He thrust the file toward Shiro, looking up at him pleadingly. "Please. I know you just got out of long negotiations, but won't you just take a few more minutes to look at this for me?"

Shiro looked down at the file wearily, then back at Keith. "...do you really believe this will immediately change the world for your friends?"

"...what?"

Shiro turned and started to leave, Keith trailing behind him in confusion.

"Even if the laws are changed on paper, people in this kingdom will still find a way to hate the Mythics," Shiro rambled, walking faster as if trying to get away. "Nothing is going to change if I sign whatever is in your hands, except that the people will hate me too."

Keith stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks and giving him another look of shock. "What are you talking about? Is _that_ what you're concerned with? Your approval ratings?"

"I'm only saying that it's not the time!" Shiro insisted. "I can't just drop a bombshell like this on a people who aren't willing to change their minds! And I have too much else to worry about right now! I've basically just been forced to sign off on an agreement that's basically robbing us, and I've got probably corrupt kingdoms threatening me with war if I don't follow their demands! I think worrying about avoiding war is a little more important than changing some random law."

 _"Random?"_ Keith snapped. "Is that what this is to you? Am I bothering you with this issue of basic rights, Shiro?"

His voice had turned to a growl, and that didn't really help Shiro's mood. "I'm just saying that I'm sick of you spending all your time on it!" he snapped back, the words tumbling out of his mouth. "I'm tired of you never talking about anything else, and I'm tired of you trying to drag me into it when I'm supposed to be on break! I'm tired of you acting like you only care to spend time with me so you can get me to change the laws you want! I just-I'm _tired,_ Keith! I'm being pulled in a million different directions and I can't just throw my signature onto everything people tell me to, not even you! Just put that thing away for once and let me be!"

Keith's jaw hung open as he stood frozen, unsure of how to respond. Shiro himself felt like he was just waking up from a daze, still feeling the dizziness from earlier, now combined with the guilt at making Keith look at him like he was someone else. He didn't say anything more, he simply waited for Keith to say something.

Finally, Keith's face went from shock to sadness, and he looked Shiro up and down as he took a step back. "I-you don't actually mean that-Shiro, I-"

 _"Hold it right there, Your Highness."_

The two men looked up, suddenly aware of all the eyes on them. Dayak marched toward them, with Matt and another guard in tow. She stopped a few steps away and glared daggers at Keith, before turning sternly to Shiro.

"Your Majesty, step away from that boy."

Shiro blinked, still to weary to understand what was happening. "What? Why?"

The guard behind her who wasn't Matt took a fighting stance, eyes trained on Keith, while Matt stood hesitantly by with an apologetic, guilty look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Dayak replied urgently. "It is just as I feared. This boy has been lying to you all along."

There were whispers from the nearby servants, and Keith stood still. Shiro's stomach continued to twist.

"What are you _talking_ about, Dayak?"

"He is not a prince of Puig," Dayak replied. "He's not a prince at all, he's not even human—." She pointed her finger menacingly at Keith. "He's a _Mythic._ And he's _using_ your feelings to bend you to the will of his people so that you will set them free to wreak havoc on our kingdom!"

The people around them gasped, and Shiro had to close his eyes to keep himself from telling Dayak off. When he opened them, Keith was gaping at Dayak like a fish, and the servants were talking amongst themselves and shooting dirty glances at Keith. Shiro felt his blood start to boil again, making his head spin.

Dayak seemed to be enjoying the attention, and continued speaking. "This imposter told me that he was the prince of Puig, free to wander since his older sister had taken the throne—but I knew that was a lie, because Puig's current monarch is a king—and an _only child._ So I sent these two guards to follow him on one of his daily escapades, and what do they find but the so-called prince entering a filthy shack full of Mythics, and returning home to beg our king to change the laws that keep those monsters in line, all while batting his eyelashes at you the entire time to string you along. Well—." She sneered at Keith again. "Your plan has failed, imposter. Your time is up. Your Majesty, give me the order and I will arrest him at once."

Keith continued to stand frozen.

"That's _enough."_ Shiro finally growled. He couldn't take this anymore. He was tired of a million different people yelling at him to do a million different things. First, he turned to the palace staff who was watching them. "All of you, get back to your work! This isn't a spectacle!"

Some of them jumped, but after a moment they scurried, still whispering and shooting looks. Shiro ignored them and turned on Dayak next.

"And you—who gave you permission to follow Keith around?"

Dayak seemed taken aback, but gave a quick, respectful bow. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, But I simply couldn't stand by watching him take advantage of y—."

"Stop talking," Shiro growled. "If you do anything like this again, you can kiss your high rank goodbye, understood?"

She stepped back and sputtered. "But—Your Majesty—."

"Get out of my sight. _Now."_

Dayak was shocked for a moment longer, then glared at Keith once more and whirled away.

"Back to your posts," he told the guards, and they quickly obeyed.

It was just him and Keith in the hall again. Shiro took but a moment to breathe. "Looks like everyone knows your secret now," he murmured. "Now if I change the laws, it will look like Dayak was right."

"Not that you care."

Shiro was about to snap at him again, but was stopped in his tracks when he turned to looks right at Keith's heartbroken expression.

"You don't care, do you?" Keith asked, voice cracking with emotion. "You don't care about the Mythics. You think they're a nuisance, just like everyone else does."

Shiro shook his head tiredly. "No, Keith, I—I don't think you're a nuisance."

"This isn't about _me!_ " Keith cried, not even bothering to hide his distress now. "This is about your _people_. It's about doing the right thing. I thought-—." He paused to keep his voice steady, and Shiro could see the tears welling up in his eyes. "I thought you, of all people, would understand why that's important. I had faith in you."

The pit of guilt and stress in Shiro's stomach only deepened, leaving him speechless.

Keith turned on his heel and started to storm away. Weakly, Shiro called out to him. "Keith—Keith wait..."

But Keith ignored him, stomping off into their room and slamming the door, leaving Shiro alone.


	19. Tailfins--The Mythics (part 4)

It didn't take long for Shiro's pride to disappear and the anger from earlier to be replaced by a need to make things up to Keith. Perhaps Dayak had been right about one thing-Keith certainly had Shiro wrapped around his finger, even if he didn't realize it. The knowledge that Keith had lost faith in him was probably the one thing that hurt him most at the moment.

Shiro paused in front of the door to their bedroom, gulping. Slowly, he opened the door peeking his head inside. Keith was seated on the edge of their bed, his back turned to the door as he hunched over dejectedly. The Mythics file was tossed haphazardly on a table.

Shiro sighed quietly and entered the room. Keith looked up briefly, that same sad expression on his face, then slumped back down. He didn't move as Shiro approached and sat down silently next to him.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Shiro turned to him, not really knowing where to start.

"Keith...I owe you an apology," he said quietly.

"I think I do, too," Keith replied. "You've been under so much pressure, and I just made it worse. I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."

Shiro stared at him in surprise and automatically reached out to take his hand. "No, Keith, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm not mad at you, not at all." He grit his teeth and looked at the floor in shame. "You're right that I've been under a lot of pressure. It's...not easy having to deal with an entire kingdom's problems, plus knowing that you're being manipulated by a corrupt ambassador and not being able to do a thing about it..." He frowned in disgust at the thought, but then turned back to Keith. "But...I shouldn't have treated you that way. You're only trying to do what's right, and I've been brushing you off. And then on top of that, I took out my anger at the ambassador on you. I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry, Keith. I hope you can forgive me."

Keith pressed his lips into a thin line, then he finally squeezed Shiro's hand back.

"...I'll forgive you," he said softly. "But first, I want you to do something for me."

"Of course, anything."

"Come with me tomorrow." Keith looked up at him with pleading eyes. "To see the Mythics. Talk to them. See how they live. I-I know it seems like I've been...obsessing over this lately, but if you could _see_ what I've seen, hear the things I've heard, you'd understand."

Shiro hesitated for a moment. "I thought you said they didn't want any humans in their hideout."

"I can convince them to let you in," said Keith. "Or at least you can see the ones who would be willing to reach out—Bandor, Romelle, Ina. Maybe even James."

"You really think they'd want to see me?"

Keith frowned. "It doesn't matter. They _need_ to see you. And you need to see them." He peered up at Shiro again. "They're your people, Shiro. You have to help them. But to do that, you've got to see their problems firsthand. Please, Shiro."

Shiro considered it for a moment longer, then smiled. As if he could say no to Keith right now. "Ok. I'll go with you."

Keith smiled back, relieved, as Shiro reached out to cup his face. "Thank you."

* * *

The next day, Shiro found himself walking through the market, hand in hand with Keith, a hood drawn over his head to avoid attention. Unlike Keith, he would most likely be recognized if people took a good look at his face, and he couldn't have that kind of attention right now.

"I feel naked without a guard," Shiro grumbled.

"You've got me," Keith replied with a smirk. Then he turned forward with a serious look. "I don't want the Mythics to think you're aggressive. If anything happens, I'll be there to stop it."

Shiro laughed softly and started to draw closer to Keith, only for his boyfriend to pause, staring off at something in the distance.

"What's wrong?"

"Hang on."

He let go of Shiro's hand, and started slowly walking toward an empty booth, where a girl was conspicuously looking over the objects on display. As both of them drew closer, the girl swiftly pulled some of the items into her pocket. Shiro paused, surprised at what he saw, but Keith briskly stepped forward and grabbed her hand.

"Romelle," he said softly. "Please stop stealing."

The girl jumped, but relaxed when she saw Keith and pouted. "You know I'm not doing it because I want to."

"Do you really need that much?"

"Saves me another trip."

Keith rolled his eyes. Romelle was about to retort, when she suddenly froze, paling in the face. "K-Keith, behind you, it's—that's the—."

It took Shiro a moment to realize that she was staring in fear at _him._

Keith snapped back to attention and took Shiro's hand, giving Romelle a comforting smile. "No, it's okay. He's with me. I'm getting him to help."

"B-But he's the k—the k-k—."

"The king, yes," Shiro replied lowly. He gave her a comforting smile of his own, hoping that terrified look on her face would disappear. "Thought I'd prefer to keep it on the down-low for now. It's nice to meet you, Romelle. I've heard a lot about you from my boyfriend." He nodded at Keith.

Romelle looked between them with her mouth hanging open. Then she turned and hastily emptied her pockets back onto the table, leaning against it when she was done. She was failing to hide her shock. "Keith, you, uh, said you had a boyfriend but you never mentioned that he was...royalty," she whispered.

Keith grinned sheepishly. "Uh. Yeah. Must've slipped my mind." He cleared his throat. "But, Romelle, we need to talk. Can we take this somewhere more private?"

Minutes later, the three of them were hidden in a corner behind a building, and by then Romelle seemed to have calmed down a little. Shiro had been a bit surprised to see her hair suddenly change to long blond pigtails, but after what he'd had to deal with, masking his surprise was easy.

"You know, Keith, when you mentioned you knew someone in power," Romelle began slowly. "I didn't think it meant that you... _knew_ someone in power."

This time Shiro couldn't hide the blush on his face.

"I'm sorry, I know it's a bit of a surprise," said Keith. "But we need to focus right now. I'm taking him to base so he can talk to the other Mythics. Do you think you can go ahead of us and tell them we're coming?"

" _What?!"_ Romelle yelped. "Are you _crazy?_ They're not going to let a human into base, especially not _him!"_

Shiro winced.

"They _have_ to," Keith insisted. "This is how we're going to bring about the change we need. I trust Shiro. You're going to have to trust him too."

"Keith, I don't know if you've noticed, but the _royal family_ haven't exactly been a Mythic's best friend these past few _decades."_ She shot a short glare at Shiro as she spoke. "They're the _reason_ we've had to stay underground in the first place. The reason we're forced to steal to take care of our families. And you expect us to just trust him?"

"Shiro's not the person who did this to you!" Keith argued. "He's trying to help!"

"No, Keith, she's right," Shiro finally spoke up. He turned to Romelle shamefully. "It was _my_ father who turned your life into hell. It was the people of _my_ kingdom who decided they didn't want you. I can understand why you wouldn't want to see me, and I admit I haven't been as attentive to your needs as I should have been." He gulped. "But, what Keith is saying is true. I want to help. I want to see what you're going through for myself. I...I want to understand."

Keith stared at him, surprised for a moment before smiling proudly. Romelle, on the other hand, bit her lip nervously. She seemed moved by his words, but obviously not ready to cave just yet.

"Even if I believe you," she said cautiously, "What about everyone else? It's not nearly as easy to convince an angry crowd. If the king goes over there out of the blue, they might up and try to kill him."

Shiro's eyes widened. "They might try to _what?!"_

Keith quickly grabbed Shiro's hands. "They won't do that! They know me. I'll make sure no one gets too worked up."

"Can you, though?" Romelle asked.

"Keith," Shiro began nervously. "Isn't there any other way we can do this? Meet on neutral ground? Maybe go back and get just one guard?"

Keith faltered a little. "Well, I—I don't..."

 _"I can be his guard,_ " a new voice suddenly said from somewhere.

Before any of them could react, a blur appeared from somewhere above them, and a red-haired teenage boy suddenly materialized next to Romelle.

Romelle jumped. "Wh—Bandor, where the heck did you come from?"

"I was following you to make sure you don't get into trouble," Bandor replied. Then he turned to Shiro with a polite bow. "Your Majesty—Uh, I'm Romelle's brother, Bandor. I-I'm a shapeshifter, and if it's okay, I can help guard you to make sure the others don't get too crazy. With Keith by your side and two shapeshifters protecting you, they'll _have_ to listen."

"Oh," Shiro stammered. "That—would be great. Thank you."

" _Two_ shapeshifters?" Romelle sputtered. "Hold on, I never agreed to this! Bandor, how can you trust him so easily?"

"He's a new king!" Bandor argued. "A new king means new laws! You heard what he said, Romelle. This is what we've been waiting for!"

"But...I don't know, Bandor..."

"Remember what I said when we first found Keith?" Bandor continued. "If we can get one human to understand us, then we could make progress. And this human is really _really_ important!"

Romelle looked from Bandor, to Shiro, to Keith, then back to Bandor. After another moment of deliberation, she finally sighed in defeat. _"Fine._ I guess it's the only chance we've got."

"So you'll help?" Keith asked.

"Yes, fine. I'll go let James know you're coming and then help guard the king. Hopefully we don't get tossed out once this is over."

Shiro beamed at her, shoulders sagging with relief. "Thank you, Romelle. I promise you won't regret this."

Romelle didn't look at him as she shifted into a bird and flew away.

Shiro watched her go, still not over the oddness of the situation. "Wow. Actual shapeshifter. Not what I expected when I took this job." He looked down at Bandor, who was nervous, excited, and very, very tiny. "So, uh, are you going to shapeshift into an intimidating bodyguard now?"

Bandor beamed widely, checking around for people watching before nodded. "Watch this."

Inexplicably, Bandor started growing taller right in front of their eyes, then filling out until he was large, muscular, and very intimidating—though the effect would probably be stronger if he didn't still have that childlike smile on his face.

"Ta-da!"

Shiro blinked. "That's...very impressive."

"Must be nice not having to work for your muscles," Keith teased.

"Don't underestimate me," Bandor replied. "Shapeshifting takes practice. These guns are still my pride and joy." He kissed one of his biceps, making both royals snort, then turned to them again. "Follow me, Your Majesty."

Bandor turned and started heading down a nearby street. Shiro took one last look at Keith.

"So...we're headed to the base, then?"

Keith squeezed his hand and tugged him along. "Let's go."

* * *

As they got closer to the market alley where the Mythic base was located, Keith once again struggled to keep himself from coughing. Shiro stayed close, frowning in concern.

"You've been coming _here_ almost every day?" He asked him. "The air here isn't good for you."

Keith smiled and waved it off. "It's fine. The air inside the base is better. Don't worry about it."

Shiro wasn't convinced, but didn't have time to argue. Bandor turned to them and pointed straight ahead. "We're here."

As soon as he spoke, the door in the dark corner opened, and out walked a scowling James, followed by Romelle, then a small crowd of apprehensive Mythics. Bandor and the two royals stopped in front of the base.

Shiro paused for a moment, not missing the mix of fear and anger on all their faces. Then he stepped forward. "You must be James."

James' frown deepened. "Your Majesty," he began lowly, the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I was only just informed that you were coming here. Please forgive the dirt. We weren't quite prepared to meet with the _king_."

There were scoffs and mutters of contempt from the crowd. Shiro gulped, and kept his eyes on James. "I just want to talk."

"Oh, _now_ you want to talk?" James snapped,not hiding his annoyance this tim. "You've been king for what, six months now? Did you finally manage to squeeze us into your schedule?"

"Better late than never, James," Keith replied.

Shiro gave a quiet sigh. "I understand that you're angry. But like I told Romelle, I just want to make things right. That's why I came to you here, where you live. I want to see your problems for myself. I want to hear your stories."

James' jaw set, as he considered this. Behind him, the crowd of Mythics began talking among themselves.

"Does he mean it?"

"He's probably just saying that to look good."

"I think we should listen to him. It's a chance we might not get again!"

"Forget it, a human king would never understand. He shouldn't even be here!"

Keith grit his teeth and stepped forward. "He's going to help you! I brought him here for a reason. Just give him a chance, you—."

He broke off into a fit of coughs, shutting the crowd up. Shiro reached over and out his arm around Keith, pulling him close.

"L-look, you can decide on this in a minute," Shiro told them. "But can we at least get inside first? Keith can barely breathe out here."

James bristled. "You may be the king, but there's no humans allowed inside. Keith can go in, but not you."

Keith stood up straight. "I'm staying with Shiro. Either we both go in or we both stay here."

"Keith—."

"I'm not leaving you alone," Keith said to Shiro. "He can decide for himself if he cares about my health. And if he cares about improving the lives of the Mythics he claims to protect."

Nadia, in the crowd, covered her mouth with her hand. " _Damn,_ Keith."

"Shiro," Ryan whispered to her in disbelief. "He calls him _Shiro."_

" _Get it,_ Keith. Holy shit."

James was glaring back at Keith, clearly holding himself back from snapping at him and sending them both away. Finally, he growled, "You may step through the door. Nothing further." He looked at Shiro. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I mean no disrespect," he spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm just doing what I need to do to protect my people."

"I understand," Shiro said softly.

James turned, and the crowd parted for him. They shot looks at both Shiro and Keith as they walked through, but none of them spoke. Shiro continued holding Keith close until they got inside.

Once they were in the base, they came face to face with every other Mythic, all of them just as apprehensive. Shiro stood against the door, flanked by Keith, Bandor, and Romelle, while James and the Mythics stared him down.

It was eerily quiet in the base, as every Mythic stared at Shiro, wondering what he would do. Shiro took a moment to look them all over. There were so many types of people here that he never thought would actually exist—some had wings, tails, or other strange body parts. Others looked human, but he could see some eyes glowing with emotion, or joints moving differently than they should. But they all had one thing in common—they looked terrified. Of him.

Shiro glanced at Keith, who smiled at him encouragingly. He let out the breath he was holding and turned back to the crowd.

"Greetings," he began. "I am King Takashi Shirogane. I know none of you expected me to be here, but please, rest assured. I'm here to extend a hand of peace, and to announce that...I plan to fix what's broken."

There was another moment of tense silence, before a gruff voice from someone in that back spoke out: "What took you so long?"

Shiro looked downward in shame. "Forgive me. I had...other pressing matters to attend to. But there is another reason. The truth is...and this won't sound good...I didn't even know of your existence until Keith told me."

 _"What?"_ someone shouted. "How would you not _know?"_

"I grew up in the palace at Seaside, and my father and I barely spoke," Shiro tried to explain. "He never told me anything. Please, you have to believe me, I truly didn't know of what was happening to you."

"The previous king gathered you all in Central decades ago and kept you here," Keith added. "It wasn't enough for him to simply ruin your lives. He tried to make sure that his heir, the next king, didn't even know about you. So that he wouldn't try to change the society that he created."

"That sounds like a load of horseshit!" someone yelled. "How would a king not know what's going on in his own kingdom?!"

"Yeah, and for all these months, too!"

"Are you just some figurehead or something?!"

The shouts all mingled into each other, and the anger in the room seemed to grow—Shiro had no doubt they would have jumped onto him if Romelle and Bandor hadn't been in the way. This wasn't going well. What would they do now?

Suddenly, amidst all the commotion, a single shrill voice cried out above the rest. "Everyone _STOP!"_

The room quieted, and all heads turned to the woman in the corner. Her eyes were glowing bright blue for a moment, but they faded, and all that was left was a disappointed glare leveled at the room.

"What are you all _doing?"_ She snapped at them. "The _king_ is standing in our presence, offering to change our terrible lives, and you're ganging up on him like barbarians?"

"But Ina!" someone called. "He's the reason our lives are terrible in the first place!"

" _He_ did nothing," Ina snapped. "What he's saying is the truth. He had no idea."

James, who up until this point had been content to watch Shiro and Keith get torn apart, stared at Ina with a flabbergasted look on his face. "Ina...you really think..."

Ina turned to stare him right in the eye. "He's being sincere, James. I can feel it. We have to believe him. Let's not destroy the one chance we have."

Keith nudged Shiro and whispered excitedly. "She can read auras," he explained. "Everyone here trusts her judgement."

Shiro breathed a sigh of relief, just as the crowd quieted again.

"It's true," he told them again. "But even then, I admit I haven't been treating this issue with the attention it deserves. Keith is the one who has been fighting for you. I should have listened to him from the beginning, and I regret not doing so." He glanced at Keith, who smiled softly. "You all have been put through unfair oppression that you never deserved. You've been forced to hide and steal to survive. You've been hurt, physically and mentally, without consequence. And I am going to change that." He caught James' eye as he spoke, and the others face with tinged with emotion.

Shiro took a determined stance. "My father, the one who forced you into this life, is dead. I'm going to make sure his corrupt ways die with him. And this seems like the best place to start." He gulped, looking out at the faces again. They were still uncertain, but in a few eyes, he saw hints of hope. "His rules against you were extensive, and the humans of this kingdom will be hard to win over. It won't be happening overnight, and it won't be as simple as signing a decree. But with Keith's research and your firsthand experiences, I think we can make life better for everyone here. I promise I'll do everything I can."

Miraculously, a few people began to clap. Shiro allowed himself a sigh of relief.

"But, that's enough talk from me. Now I want to listen. Tell me your stories."

* * *

A few hours later, the two royals were back in their room, arms full of testimonies and legal documents. Shiro plopped down on his bed, Keith following suit, and they spread the papers out in front of them.

"Well, time to organize this, I guess," said Shiro. "The more I understand what's in this, the easier it will be to explain to the masses why I'm changing the laws."

Keith looked up, carefully searching his face. "So...you're definitely planning on changing them, then?"

"Of course. After what I heard today, how can I not?" He picked up one of the wrinkled papers he'd picked up at the base. "People losing their families, people being forced to work in all these awful conditions because they're not allowed to do anything else...it's crazy. I can't believe I brushed it off for so long." He turned guiltily toward Keith. "You were right, Keith. I'm sorry I didn't listen."

Keith smiled softly. "It's okay. I'm sorry I doubted you. You're a good person, Shiro. I knew you'd come around once you saw what I'd seen."

Shiro scoffed. "Still, I wouldn't have seen if it wasn't for you. I'm glad you're here to give me the push I need sometimes."

Keith presses his lips together and looked downward at the stack of paper. He didn't reply.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "Is there something else on your mind?"

Keith took a moment to formulate his thoughts, then looked at him pitifully. "Shiro, I...I hope it doesn't seem like I'm being manipulative."

Shiro frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's just—when I first met the Mythics, I promised them that I'd use my position to help them. But—it's not really like that. I'm not trying to use my connection to you. I only asked you for help because I knew you would do the right thing."

Shiro put down the paper he was holding and reached out to take Keith's hand. "Well, yeah, I know that. What you told me was part of my _job,_ Keith. I know you're not using me, what made you think that?"

Keith spoke quietly. "It's just...after what Dayak said, everyone started to doubt my intentions with you. I started to doubt myself."

Shiro touched his face and smiled gently. "Dayak doesn't know you like I do. Neither do the others. It's ok, Keith. I don't doubt you one bit. And no one here is going to treat you badly, I'll make sure of it."

"I love you, Shiro," Keith declared firmly. "I really do. You know that, right?"

Shiro smiled wider. "I do. And I love you too. I know I haven't been doing a good job of saying it lately, but I do."

"You and me both."

Shiro pulled him close and kissed him, savoring the moment. Kissing Keith somehow felt sweeter than usual when it came after a make-up. Keith hummed slightly and pulled away, his playful smile on his face once again.

"That's enough, we should actually get started organizing this."

"You got it."

They looked through the papers for a few minutes, before Keith piped up again.

"You know, I kinda wish I didn't have to put this all on you," he mused. "It would be nice if I could change laws myself while you deal with all that other stuff."

"So you want to just control the kingdom yourself, huh?" Shiro teased.

"No!" Keith nudged him. "I mean, it would be nice if we could split the work. I _am_ you partner, aren't I? I looked through the Mythics file myself, I think I can be trusted to take some of the workload off you."

Shiro didn't reply, and Keith turned his smiling face toward him. "Isn't there a way we can do that?"

"Uh, well," Shiro began, suddenly looking very shy. "You can always give me advice, but technically you wouldn't have authority to make any decisions yourself, unless..." he paused, looking back down.

"Unless...?"

Shiro smiled at him sheepishly. "Unless we get married."

Keith froze. His cheeks turned pink as he stared at Shiro in shock. "Wait—a-are you—?"

"No," Shiro replied quickly. "I'm not proposing." He looked down at their surroundings in disgust. "You deserve a better proposal than this. When I propose to you, it will be on a romantic boat ride under the stars, not while we're disheveled and sitting in a pile of documents. I'm just saying..." he rubbed the back of his head, trying not to melt under Keith's huge smile.

"I mean, you're not wrong. You've definitely proven that you care about this kingdom enough to put in the work. And I...I think it would be great if you would run this operation by my side, a-as my husband," he paused to look up at Keith again. "I mean, would you want something like that?"

Keith beamed at him, brighter than the sun. "I'd like that more than anything."

Shiro felt himself get infected with Keith's joy, then he stopped again. "Just so we're clear, you're talking about marriage, not running the country, right?"

Keith laughed, elated, then jumped into Shiro's arms for another kiss. Shiro kissed him back, barely reminding himself that they still had work to do. Just one more kiss, he told himself. They deserved it. This whole ordeal had turned out to be a success, in more ways than one.

* * *

 **And thus concludes the Sheith Anthology!**  
 **Thanks so much for reading, everyone, feedback would be much appreciated 3**  
 **More Sheith fics coming from me soon!**


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